CONCORD, N.C. -- Despite an hour-long rain delay Thursday night, William Byron took his first trip to Victory Lane after he won the second Duel, ensuring he will start fourth in Sunday's DAYTONA 500.
In his third Duel start, Byron captured Hendrick Motorsports' 16th Duel win and became the third-youngest driver to win a Duel.
Teammate Jimmie Johnson also raced in the second Duel, finishing second under the checkered flag.
"I’m so stocked for William, but I wanted to win," laughed Johnson. "We have a really good car, better than the Clash. I’m so proud of this Ally team. It was a nice 1-2 finish there for Hendrick Motorsports.”
Alex Bowman maintained his outside pole position for the DAYTONA 500, leading 13 laps in the second Duel before dropping back in the pack.
Chase Elliott was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver who competed in the first Duel, finishing 13th.
Joey Logano won the the first Duel, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. still maintaining the pole position for the DAYTONA 500.
Take a closer look as to how the Duels at Daytona International Speedway unfolded.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DUEL: No. 1
FINISHED: 13th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elliott started out strong, maintaining the second position for the majority of the first 20 laps.
- He peeled off on the 23rd lap to pit road just to top off on fuel, then coasted between the 10th and 11th spots.
- After the majority of the cars headed to pit road after a yellow flag due to an accident, Elliott advanced to second on the 36th lap, but fell in and out of the top five as the final third of the Duel started.
- With 14 laps left, Elliott tumbled to 14th, but powered back and teetered between the eight and ninth positions with less than 10 laps left.
- On Lap 58, Elliott slid up to the fifth position, but fell out of the top five on the final lap. He finished 13th when the checkered flag dropped.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DUEL: No. 2
FINISHED: 1st
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bryon started right behind Johnson in the fourth position, but dropped back to 10th after the second lap.
- He entered the second third of the Duel hovering in seventh place, but pitted on the 23rd lap with his teammates to top off his Chevy with fuel.
- He got aggressive with 15 laps left, peeling off to pit road to get four fresh tires before trying to make a surge in the last part of the race. The payoff worked as he moved up to the fourth spot with nine laps to go.
- Byron pulled out to the outside with three laps to go and then to the top spot with two laps to go. Thanks to a final push with Johnson, Byron won the race.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DUEL: No. 2
FINISHED: 2nd
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Johnson started right next to Bowman on outside pole, but quickly fell to seventh by the second lap.
- Along with teammates Byron and Bowman, he fueled up his No. 48 Chevy on the 23rd lap. He started the second half of the race playing defense by blocking other drivers, which kept him at 17th.
- Like Byron, Johnson decided to pull off on Lap 45 for new tires before hitting the track again for a later push as he hovered outside the top 10.
- Johnson made a big run up to sixth with eight laps to go. He successfully tried another bold move on the outside and jumped up to the second spot at Lap 58, then hovered behind teammate Byron to finish second in the Hendrick Motorsports tandem.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 VALVOLINE CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DUEL: No. 2
FINISHED: 15th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman started on the pole position in the second Duel after he securing the outside pole in qualifying last Sunday.
- He fell out of the top spot after six laps and cruised in the fourth position by the time the 10th lap rolled around, but made a push for the top spot again on Lap 15.
- Bowman led for 13 of 23 laps before he pulled off to pit road for a fuel-only stop.
- In the second half of the race, he hung back to keep his car damage free and finished 15th.