Austin Cindric and his No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse team enjoy their Duel No. 2 win at Daytona. (Photo: Donald Jenney | The Podium Finish)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — For 48 laps, Duel No. 2 at DAYTONA was a tame qualifying race before a backstretch fracas brought Austin Cindric and Erik Jones back into contention.
In the early going, Cindric, starting from the pole by qualifying second overall for the 67th DAYTONA 500, led the opening lap. Denny Hamlin quickly asserted himself into the picture by leading the next 14 laps before Jones, with drafting help from Jimmie Johnson, applied the spurs to his No. 43 LEGACY Motor Club entry to the front.
Ryan Blaney led on Lap 18 before Jones retook the lead for the next 13 laps. Daniel Suárez led Chevrolet’s only laps in Duel No. 2, trading the number one spot with Blaney for the next 13 laps. Then, green flag pit stops ensued with drivers opting for fuel only.
Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and John Hunter Nemechek were assessed pit road speeding penalties, greatly dealing a blow to the trio before a Lap 49 caution changed the complexion of the race.
On the backstretch, as Chris Buescher attempted to block Cindric, those behind the Ford duo checked up. Alex Bowman and Suárez tangled, taking Brad Keselowski in the process. Bowman smacked the inside retaining wall along the backstretch, ending his efforts along with Suárez and Keselowski due to damage.
Once the race restarted on Lap 54, it was a six lap dash to the finish. Cindric and Buescher battled for the lead coming to the finish before Jones joined the fray. On the final lap, coming to the stripe, Jones, on the outside line, appeared to have the edge over Keselowski. However, just as the leaders approached the stripe, a five car crash near the dogleg resulted in a race ending caution.
Initially, Jones thought he won the race and pulled up to the stripe for a frontstretch winner’s interview. During that point, NASCAR reviewed all available video and data to determine the scoring order just as the caution lights turned on.
The result was bad news for Jones but jubilation for Cindric and the No. 2 Team Penske brigade. For Cindric, the 2023 DAYTONA 500 winner, he tallies 10 points and valuable experience.
Austin Cindric shares his winning thoughts with FOX NASCAR’s Jamie Little after Duel No. 2 at Daytona. (Photo: Donald Jenney | The Podium Finish)
“It’s great to get the points and obviously have a fast car and get to practice a good bit of execution – a good teammate and good teamwork with most of the Fords, so I’m proud of that effort,” Cindric said. “The guys did a really great job and I’m happy I was able to race tonight.”
Even with the Duel No. 2 win, Cindric knows the battle has only begun at “The World Center of Racing” with two more practice sessions before the season opener on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s a long week ahead. There’s still a lot to go. Obviously a great race for us and a fast Discount Tire Ford Mustang, but I would say a bit of a surprise there,” Cindric observed. “I thought it was super close.
“Sitting from my perspective, I thought I got it, but I think the 43 beat me to the line, but the caution light came out a little earlier, so obviously it was a great result and glad my guys let me race this one tonight to see what we had. Now we can tune on this thing for the 500.”
As the late Ken Squier once said, racing is a case of winners and losers. For Jones, while he did not win Duel No. 2, he showcased the heart and maturity of a winner with his bittersweet runner-up result.
“A wide range of emotions. It’s a bummer,” Jones lamented. “It’s the rule. If the yellow is out, the race is over and it’s unfortunate but either way I feel like the Advent Camry was really fast. It was fun running upfront, fun leading some laps, fun contending for the win. I did everything I could. It just didn’t work out and hopefully we can be in that same spot again on Sunday.”
Buescher, scoring a podium on Thursday night, may have showcased his case to be a genuine DAYTONA 500 contender. Like a fellow Texan in Terry Labonte, Buescher’s third-place result was quiet but steady save for the backstretch logjam.
“This Fastenal Mustang is really good. I’m really happy with that. The pit cycle got a little messier than we wanted. It seems to happen here and there at the end I had some really good help from Corey from behind us. We were able to make some really good momentum from our lane and ultimately the bottom just tightened up a little bit better there and I need to work a little harder to keep lanes better, but I’m pretty happy with this hot rod.”
Despite a victory last year at World Wide Technology Raceway and making the NASCAR Playoffs, Cindric is off to a hot start in 2025. Now, he and his Brian Wilson-led No. 2 team hope to secure a second win in “The Great American Race” on Sunday afternoon.
Austin Cindric, winner of Duel No. 2 at Daytona, knows how to get the job done in “The Great American Race.” (Photo: Donald Jenney | The Podium Finish)
“I think I learned quite a bit. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can apply,” Cindric shared. “Maybe we can work on it a little bit in these two practice sessions we have coming up. It’s still a long week ahead.
“We pretty much have to do three more of those Duels with a lot more cars and some really competitive cars and some tough competition and a lot of room for error. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Duel No. 2 at Daytona International Speedway Race Results
- Austin Cindric
- Erik Jones
- Chris Buescher
- Denny Hamlin
- Joey Logano
- Corey LaJoie
- Todd Gilliland
- Ryan Blaney
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Christopher Bell
- Kyle Larson
- Riley Herbst (R)
- Anthony Alfredo (i)
- Shane Van Gisbergen (R)
- Cody Ware
- Cole Custer
- BJ McLeod
- Noah Gragson
- Jimmie Johnson
- Brad Keselowski – OUT
- Daniel Suárez – OUT
- Alex Bowman – OUT
