The second part of qualifying for the Daytona 500 gets underway on Thursday morning as drivers take part in the Gatorade Duels. The twin 60-lap races will determine all but one spot in the field, with Jeff Gordon the only driver to hold a locked-in position. Dale Earnhardt Jr., the pole winner, will instead start at the back of the pack in Sunday’s 2011 Daytona 500 after wrecking his car in practice on Wednesday.
Time:
Location: Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Drivers. A full list of drivers can be found here. Of note, there are still a few open spots in the race, which will be given to those that finish in transfer spots in the Gatorade Duels.
TV Information: Speed Network has the coverage locally, beginning at 11 a.m. PST.
How It Works: Well, it was already complicated, but the Dale Earnhardt Jr. crash on Wednesday made it even worse. SB Nation’s Jeff Gluck explains what Earnhardt Jr.’s crash means for the field and how the front row will be determined. At any rate, drivers in the top-35 are in, while the rest are vying for a pivotal transfer spot. More information can be found here.
It all gets underway at 11 a.m. on SPEED, with drivers all jockeying for position in the Daytona 500. By the end of the day, we’ll know the full starting grid, determined by the order of finish in the Gatorade Duels. For more on the races, follow along with the Daytona 500 StoryStream at SB Nation.