Chase Elliott added another Duel win to his shelf, driving his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to victory at Daytona without a single caution. He took the lead on Lap 53 and held off Carson Hocevar by 0.065 seconds to claim his third Duel triumph.
The win placed Elliott among an exclusive group of three Hendrick Motorsports drivers who have accomplished the feat. He led twice for a total of nine laps to seal victory in the second Duel. Joey Logano claimed the first Duel, while Kyle Buschsecured the pole. Sunday’s main event will see Busch and Chase Briscoe on the front row, with Logano and Elliott lining up in the second row and Ryan Blaney and Hocevar starting behind them.
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Starting P4 definitely puts Elliott in the catbird seat, but he is not popping the champagne yet. That’s because at Daytona, Thursday may feel like a dress rehearsal, but Sunday is the main act.
A strong starting spot helps, but on a drafting track like Daytona, the field can turn upside down as soon as the fuel saving gives way to elbows-out racing. Elliott knows that very well.
“Winning at Daytona is always good, but Sunday is what we want. So, yeah, it’s one of those things where it’s great, and it’s a great way to start the season always. And these races are great opportunities to kind of just get your feet wet and get yourself in some situations on track that get the blood pumping, which is good,” the Hendrick Motorsports driver said.
“But you kind of have to cautiously enjoy nights like Thursday night, right, because Sunday’s what we want. And so, really just my mind, having been in this situation before, my mind’s really just kind of on to Sunday already and just thinking about what we might need out of our car to improve from where we were tonight,” he continued.
But one of the biggest silver linings from the Duel win is pit selection. At Daytona, that can be worth its weight in gold. Elliott and his crew came in with that box checked on their list and executed the plan.
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If he sounds measured, there is history behind it. He has won Duel races before, in 2017 and 2018, and still left the 500 without a result to match his efforts.
For example, in 2017, the #9 HMS driver started from the pole, led 39 laps, and had the race in his hands with three laps to go before his No. 24 ran dry. Others, including Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr., faced the same fate when no caution flew. Kurt Busch swept past for the win, and Elliott coasted home 14th.
Then again, in 2018, just like this time, Elliott started from P4, but trouble struck on Lap 102 when Ryan Blaney threw a block on the backstretch. Contact with Brad Keselowski sent Elliott into the wall, collecting Danica Patrick and Kasey Kahne in the process. His day ended early, and he scored 33rd. So he has learned to take Duel wins with a grain of salt. They set the table, but they do not serve the meal.
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