The 2017 Can-Am Duels were a pair of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stock car races held on February 23, 2017, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Both contested over 60 laps, they were the qualifying races for the 2017 Daytona 500.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] | |
|---|---|
| Date | February 23, 2017 |
| Location | Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) |
| Distance | Race 1: 60 laps, 150 mi (240 km) Race 2: 60 laps, 150 mi (240 km) |
| Avg Speed | Race 1: 160.095 mph (257.648 km/h) Race 2: 156.977 mph (252.630 km/h) |
| Race 1 | |
| Pole position | Chase Elliott |
| Most laps led | Brad Keselowski (28) |
| Winner | Chase Elliott |
| Race 2 | |
| Pole position | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| Most laps led | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (53) |
| Winner | Denny Hamlin |
| Television | |
| Network | FS1 & MRN |
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip (Television) Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace (Booth) Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Kyle Rickey (3 & 4) (Turns) (Radio) |
Report
editBackground
edit
Daytona International Speedway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the others being Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four–turn superspeedway that is 2.5-mile (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.
Practice
editFirst practice
editJoey Logano was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 46.604 seconds and a speed of 193.116 mph (310.790 km/h).[8]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 46.604 | 193.116 |
| 2 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 46.619 | 193.054 |
| 3 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 46.621 | 193.046 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editChase Elliott scored the pole for the Daytona 500 with a time of 46.663 and a speed of 192.872 mph (310.397 km/h).[9] He said afterwards that everyone at Hendrick Motorsports did "a lot of work this off-season. This team definitely has a knack for these plate tracks, as they showed with Jeff Gordon and then last year with here and Talladega." He also mentioned how these accomplishments don't "just happen by staying the same, as everybody knows. Everyone is always trying to get better and make their cars better and faster, and the engine shop is always finding new things. So I think that's just proof that they're improving with everybody else and taking that next step, which is really impressive." He ended by saying he was "happy to be a part of it, and hopefully we can run good next Sunday."[10]
Qualifying results
editPractice (post–Qualifying)
editBoth practice sessions scheduled for Thursday following qualifying was cancelled due to rain.
Duels
editDuel 1
editFirst half
editChase Elliott led the field to the green flag at 7:19 p.m. He side-drafted Brad Keselowski on the backstretch to jump in front and lead the first lap. Keselowski dove under him in Turn 2 to take the lead the following lap. While he was leading, teammate Joey Logano made an unscheduled stop on lap 12 for a flat tire and rejoined a lap down. Kyle Busch took the lead as the first caution of the race, a scheduled competition caution due to rain showers, flew on lap 25. Everyone pitted under the caution and Busch retained the lead. Matt DiBenedetto restarted from the tail-end of the field for speeding on pit road.
Second half
editThe race restarted on lap 31. When the field reached the backstretch, Keselowski powered by Busch on the outside lane to take back the lead. Elliott dove inside Keselowski in Turn 2 to retake the lead on lap 37. The second caution flew with 12 laps to go for a two-car wreck on the frontstretch. Coming through the tri-oval heading towards Turn 1, Corey LaJoie rear-ended Reed Sorenson, who checked up, turning Sorenson down into Paul Menard, sending Sorenson down the track and into the inside retaining wall.[11] Sorenson, who missed the race as a result of this wreck, said he guessed LaJoie "felt like he did what he had to do to make the race. I hope he's proud of that part of it. There's a lot of pressure going in to making this race. It's a very big deal for a small team like ours."[12] Sorenson went on to finish last.[13]
The race restarted with eight laps to go. The Fords of Kevin Harvick and Keselowski formed a line on the top side to make a charge at Elliott. The line started stalling out with five laps to go and Elliott drove on to score the victory, only challenged by Harvick and Jamie McMurray.[14]
Duel 1 results
edit| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 10 |
| 2 | 12 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 9 |
| 3 | 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 60 | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 60 | 7 |
| 5 | 5 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 60 | 6 |
| 6 | 10 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 60 | 5 |
| 7 | 13 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 60 | 4 |
| 8 | 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 60 | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 60 | 2 |
| 10 | 8 | 19 | Daniel Suárez (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 60 | 1 |
| 11 | 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 60 | 0 |
| 12 | 7 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 60 | 0 |
| 13 | 15 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 60 | 0 |
| 14 | 14 | 34 | Landon Cassill | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 60 | 0 |
| 15 | 20 | 23 | Joey Gase (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 60 | 0 |
| 16 | 21 | 83 | Corey LaJoie (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 60 | 0 |
| 17 | 17 | 75 | Brendan Gaughan (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| 18 | 11 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 59 | 0 |
| 19 | 19 | 55 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Toyota | 48 | 0 |
| 20 | 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 60 | 0 |
| 21 | 16 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Duel 2
editFirst half
editDale Earnhardt Jr. led the field to the green flag at 8:51 p.m. He and Denny Hamlin raced side-by-side for the lead for five laps before the field settled into a single-file train running against the wall. The race flow was broken up by the lap 26 competition caution, also scheduled due to earlier rain showers. Everyone pitted under the caution and Ryan Blaney exited pit road with the race lead. Hamlin (speeding) and Elliott Sadler (driving through too many pit boxes) restarted the race from the tail-end of the field.[15]
Second half
editThe race restarted on lap 31 and Earnhardt wasted little time taking the lead back from Blaney. Unlike the first Duel race, this race was more calm and reserved. Action started picking up with 18 laps to go when Jimmie Johnson made contact with Blaney on the backstretch, forcing Blaney into the outside wall.[16] Five laps later, Johnson suffered a right-side tire blowout on the backstretch and slammed the wall in Turn 3, bringing out the second caution.[17]
The race restarted with nine to go. On the final lap, Hamlin received a push from Austin Dillon, faked Earnhardt out on the backstretch and passed him going into Turn 3 to win the second Duel race.[18]
Duel 2 results
edit| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 60 | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 60 | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 60 | 8 |
| 4 | 13 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 7 |
| 5 | 1 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 6 |
| 6 | 12 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 60 | 5 |
| 7 | 5 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 4 |
| 8 | 8 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 3 |
| 9 | 6 | 13 | Ty Dillon (R) | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 2 |
| 10 | 16 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 60 | 1 |
| 11 | 15 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| 12 | 7 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| 13 | 4 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| 14 | 19 | 96 | D. J. Kennington | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 60 | 0 |
| 15 | 18 | 7 | Elliott Sadler (i) | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| 16 | 17 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Premium Motorsports | Toyota | 60 | 0 |
| 17 | 20 | 33 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| 18 | 10 | 77 | Erik Jones (R) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 59 | 0 |
| 19 | 9 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 55 | 0 |
| 20 | 21 | 51 | Timmy Hill (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 29 | 0 |
| 21 | 14 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Media
editTelevision
edit| FS1 | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip |
Jamie Little Chris Neville Vince Welch Matt Yocum |
Radio
edit| MRN Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe Moore Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace |
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey |
Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Steve Post |
References
edit- ^ "2017 Cup Series schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 5, 2016. Archived from the original on February 4, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
- ^ "Daytona International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
- ^ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 15, 2017. Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 18, 2017. Archived from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 19, 2017. Archived from the original on February 21, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ "Duel Race 1 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 23, 2017. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ "Duel Race 2 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 23, 2017. Archived from the original on March 9, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ Spencer, Lee (February 18, 2017). "Logano and Ford top Daytona 500 qualifying practice". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ Gelston, Dan (February 19, 2017). "Elliott nips Earnhardt to win 2nd straight Daytona 500 pole". Associated Press. Daytona Beach, Florida: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 21, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ Spencer, Reid (February 19, 2017). "Chase Elliott captures back-to-back Daytona 500 poles". NASCAR.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: NASCAR Wire Service. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ Bromberg, Nick (February 23, 2017). "Corey LaJoie crashes Reed Sorenson out of the Daytona 500". sports.yahoo.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
- ^ Gelston, Dan (February 23, 2017). "LaJoie uses wreck, Johnson pitch to land Daytona 500 spot". Associated Press. Daytona Beach, Florida: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
- ^ Beard, Brock (February 23, 2017). "CUP: Reed Sorenson's battle for transfer spot ends with Premium Motorsports' second-straight last-place finish in Duel Race 1". brock.lastcar.info. LASTCAR.info. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
- ^ Tucker, Heather (February 23, 2017). "Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin win Cam-Am Duels at Daytona". USA Today. Daytona Beach, Florida: Gannett Company. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ Engle, Greg (February 23, 2017). "No storybook ending for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Can-Am Duel". CupScene.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Cup Scene. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
- ^ Oreovicz, John (February 23, 2017). "Fans get half of what they want from finishes of the Duels". ESPN.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: ESPN Inc. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
- ^ Cain, Holly (February 23, 2017). "Jimmie Johnson to run backup car in Daytona 500". NASCAR.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
- ^ Fryer, Jenna (February 23, 2017). "Hamlin spoils Earnhardt return with last-lap pass for win". Associated Press. Daytona Beach, Florida: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.