Lineup for Thursday’s Gatorade Duels
The teams in the top 35 in 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup standings are split between the two races, with 18 of those drivers in one and 17 in the other.
The next four days will be nervous ones for the 17 drivers left vying for the four remaining spots in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Daytona 500.
The 150-mile qualifying races Thursday at Daytona International Speedway will determine those four.
With 35 positions guaranteed by 2008 owner points, two of the non-guaranteed drivers will advance out of each of the qualifying races.
That leaves four positions to be filled. The next three positions in the field will be set by qualifying time with the last spot available for a past champion or another driver based on qualifying speed. Wood Brothers Racing’s Bill Elliott, Yates Racing’s Travis Kvapil, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Tony Stewart and Prism Motorsports’ Terry Labonte would get those four spots if they aren’t among the top two non-guaranteed drivers in their qualifying races.
If any of those four are among the top two in their heat races, then Furniture Row Racing’s Regan Smith gets in the 500 based on qualifying speed. Nemco Motorsports’ Joe Nemechek, Simo Carter Racing’s Boris Said and Tommy Baldwin Racing's Scott Riggs also are on the bubble in the sense that they could get in on speed depending if Elliott, Kvapil, Stewart or Labonte earn the allotted spots out of the qualifying races. Elliott, Stewart and Labonte are all in the first race, while Kvapil is the only one of the four in the second.
Smith, Nemechek, Said and Riggs also could race their way in and not have to rely on getting in on speed.
Drivers who cannot make the race on speed and therefore must race their way into the 500 field are Richard Petty Motorsports’ AJ Allmendinger, Phoenix Racing’s Brad Keselowski, Mayfield Motorsports’ Jeremy Mayfield, Kirk Shelmerdine Racing’s Kirk Shelmerdine, TRG Motorsports’ Mike Wallace, Front Row Motorsports’ Tony Raines, H&S Motorsports’ Mike Garvey, Cope/Keller Racing’s Derrike Cope, R3 Motorsports’ Mike Skinner, BlackJack Racing’s Kelly Bires, Carl Long Racing’s Carl Long, Gunselman Motorsports’ Geoff Bodine and Norm Benning Racing’s Norm Benning.
The races will help finalize the lineup for the Daytona 500. Here are the lineups for the pair of races, slated to begin Thursday at 2 p.m. EST, with driver, where Sunday qualifying speed ranked and qualifying speed:
GATORADE DUEL NO. 1
1. Martin Truex Jr. (1), 188.001 mph
2. Bill Elliott (5), 187.739
3. Jimmie Johnson (6), 187.727
4. Aric Almirola (7), 187.649
5. Jeff Gordon (9), 187.402
6. Tony Stewart (10), 187.336
7. Paul Menard (13), 187.044
8. Greg Biffle (16), 186.889
9. Joe Nemechek (19), 186.807
10. Joey Logano (21), 186.753
11. Matt Kenseth (23), 186.614
12. Jamie McMurray (24), 186.509
13. David Ragan (27), 186.374
14. Marcos Ambrose (30), 186.012
15. Scott Riggs (32), 185.893
16. Michael Waltrip (34), 185.805
17. John Andretti (36), 185.590
18. Brad Keselowski (37), 185.571
19. Kasey Kahne (38), 185.517
20. Robby Gordon (39), 185.510
21. Casey Mears (40), 185.426
22. Kurt Busch (42), 185.380
23. Sam Hornish (44), 185.079
24. Kirk Shelmerdine (45), 184.854
25. Tony Raines (47), 184.106
26. Terry Labonte (50), 182.042
27. Mike Skinner (52), 181.928
28. Carl Long (54), 181.032
GATORADE DUEL NO. 2
1. Mark Martin (2), 187.817
2. Ryan Newman (3), 187.778
3. Juan Pablo Montoya (4), 187.742
4. Travis Kvapil (8), 187.574
5. Bobby Labonte (11), 187.211
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (12), 187.079
7. Regan Smith (14), 186.924
8. Kyle Busch (15), 186.896
9. Scott Speed (17), 186.842
10. David Reutimann (18), 186.827
11. Boris Said (20), 186.780
12. Clint Bowyer (22), 186.726
13. Denny Hamlin (25), 186.451
14. Carl Edwards (26), 186.389
15. Reed Sorenson (28), 186.070
16. Elliott Sadler (29), 186.066
17. Jeff Burton (31), 185.958
18. Brian Vickers (33), 185.858
19. AJ Allmendinger (35), 185.770
20. David Stremme (41), 185.391
21. Jeremy Mayfield (43), 185.082
22. Mike Wallace (46), 184.847
23. Mike Garvey (48), 184.004
24. Kevin Harvick (49), 183.602
25. Derrike Cope (51), 182.020
26. Kelly Bires (53), 181.701
27. Geoff Bodine (55), 180.810
28. Norm Benning (56), 177.386