Christopher Bell Rings In Bluegreen Vacations Duel No. 2 Win

Christopher Bell earned an exciting Bluegreen Vacations Duel No. 2 victory at Daytona on Thursday night. (Photo: Jared Bokanoski | The Podium Finish)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Perhaps Christopher Bell did not look back in anger after missing the Busch Light Clash field two weeks ago in Los Angeles. After all, the 29-year-old Norman, Oklahoma, native clearly put the Los Angeles shocker behind him on Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway.

Much like Tyler Reddick in the first Bluegreen Vacations Duel, Bell started deep in the 21-car field, rolling off from 16th. The two-time Championship 4 finalist bided his time while a fellow Toyota Racing ally in Bubba Wallace dominated the 60-lap race.

Early on, Daytona 500 front row starter Michael McDowell led the opening six laps before William Byron jockeyed his way to the front for four laps. Then, Riley Herbst took the top spot for seven of the next 10 laps, looking sharp in his No. 15 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

Bubba Wallace, two-time Daytona 500 runner-up, put the spurs to his No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry at the front of the pack for the next 20 laps. However, the race’s lone pit stop cycle shook up the running order with McDowell returning to the front of the pack.

On Lap 49, a violent crash past the tri-oval involving Ryan Blaney, the defending Cup champion, two-time Cup champion, Kyle Busch, 2012 Cup champion Brad Keselowski, Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe, Herbst, Harrison Burton, Wallace, Byron, Justin Haley and BJ McLeod resulted in some frayed tempers.

Namely, Blaney did not mince words after being evaluated and released from the infield care center.

A grinding crash inside the final 12 laps of the Bluegreen Vacations Duel No. 2 at Daytona eliminated Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Riley Herbst and Noah Gragson from contention. (Photo: Jared Bokanoski | The Podium Finish)

“I’m OK. By the replay, it just looks like awful pushes in terrible spots,” Blaney said. “That’s usually how these wrecks happen. Three times in a row here I’ve been right-reared by someone else’s awful push, so I’m getting pretty sick of it.

“People just have to be smart. I don’t know what you’re doing. It’s a Duel race. Why are you shoving in the tri-oval? I don’t get it, so just a shame we have to be the one with a tore up race car when it’s someone else’s issue. I don’t know.”

Once the race resumed green flag action on Lap 53 following a red flag of eight minutes and 49 seconds, McDowell found himself surrounded by familiar Ford Performance friends and feisty Toyota foes.

Like Kyle Larson in the first Duel, McDowell made a handy save in the closing laps to retain his competitive, fast No. 34 mount. Rather than risk wrecking the car in the final laps, McDowell opted for a safe 16th place finish.

Michael McDowell learned a great deal from Thursday night’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel No. 2 at Daytona. (Photo: Jared Bokanoski | The Podium Finish)

“I will have to go back and watch but the 11 (Hamlin) threw a pretty good block there and I just didn’t want to wreck myself in the process,” McDowell said. “Obviously, we have a front row start. I wasn’t really anticipating him to throw it that early. I thought maybe two to go or one to go, but we were like four to go at that point. When I checked up a little bit not to blast him, the 2 got behind me a little bit and that got me sideways enough to get on that outside lane.

“Once I was the last man standing up there, I just rolled out knowing that we wanted to race for the win. We were racing for the win. But once we weren’t in position to race for the win we needed to do everything we could to protect our Love’s Travel Stops Mustang Dark Horse.”

After McDowell was shuffled from the lead pack, the race came down to Hamlin, Cindric, Burton and Bell. For a while, it appeared that the Team Penske efforts of Cindric and the Wood Brothers Racing mount driven by Burton were in position to win the second Duel.

On this occasion, Bell denied the Fords from Victory Lane, making a brilliant last lap pass on the outside of Hamlin just before the exit of the Daytona Superstretch. By a somewhat comfortable 0.113 second margin of victory, Bell bested Cindric, the 2022 Daytona 500 champion, to the line, earning the fourth starting position for Sunday’s season opener.

Retrieving the checkered flag for a fan after the race, Bell understood the significance of conquering Daytona.

“Those words at the top of the grandstands say it all – it’s the World Center of Racing,” Bell said. “This place is something else. It will chew you up and spit you out faster than you can imagine. It feels good to finally do it right here.”

Following a tough season last year, Cindric seems just as focused and intent on making a great start to the 2024 campaign with a runner-up in the second Duel, earning the sixth starting spot.

“It was a really strong effort by everyone on the Discount Tire Ford Mustang,” Cindric said. “Obviously, we had good pace in qualifying and had a really strong car and great execution in the race. I wish things would have played out differently in the last five laps.

“We were able to get back up to the front and had some good runs and we got a couple Fords up there in the top-five. Overall, I am just poised to get to the 500 and see what we’ve got for the long race.”

In spite of the less than stellar qualifying effort on Wednesday night, Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 champion, seemed to learn a great deal from his podium finish.

“Probably needed to cover the top there a little bit better,” Hamlin said. “Yeah, I mean, it was really a good move by him (Bell). Getting the momentum, it started to get stirred up behind him, we’re trying everything we can to block both lanes.

“You just can’t. You got to pick one. Really just good, solid day. Got some information to learn from. We’ll go race here on Sunday.”

Kaz Grala of Boston will get to race at Daytona on Sunday afternoon after earning a 12th place finish, much like Johnson in the first Duel. Suffice to say, the Front Row Motorsports racer has become a pro with making a last ditch effort into the Daytona 500.

Kaz Grala had to feel like the 2004 Boston Red Sox after fighting his way into the Daytona 500 following Thursday night’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel No. 2 at Daytona. (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)

“They’ve all been equally tied for the most stressful moments of my life,” Grala said. “I have not had one smooth Duel yet all three times and yet I snuck in in all of them. That definitely took a couple of years off my life right there, but to make the Daytona 500, it’s always worth it.”

Sometimes, it pays to be fortunate and fast like Bell on Thursday night. Even a winner like the amiable Bell knew it was white knuckle racing time for just the 60-lap appetizer.

Until Sunday at Daytona, Christopher Bell must feel like a role playing gamer who beat Final Fantasy. (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)

“I don’t know. I was really nervous on that last restart because I saw pretty much the whole field was lined up on the outside, and we didn’t have many on the inside,” Bell said. “It worked out. These Toyotas were super, super fast and John Hunter (Nemechek), myself and Denny (Hamlin) were able to connect and get back up front.

“Then once we got clear with this DEWALT/Interstate Batteries Camry, the top started coming, and it was just a matter of trying to block their run and pick it up without getting hooked, which thankfully, I did without getting hooked.”

Bluegreen Vacations Duel No. 2 at Daytona Race Results