Gatorade Duel at Daytona

STEWART-HAAS RACING

Gatorade Duel at Daytona

Date: Feb. 11, 2010

Event: Gatorade Duel at Daytona (non-point qualifying races for the 52^nd Daytona 500)

Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)

Ryan Newman Start/Finish: 2^nd/8^th (Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Gatorade Duel No. 1)

Tony Stewart Start/Finish: 11^th/2^nd (Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Gatorade Duel No. 2)

Winners: Gatorade Duel No. 1 - Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Gatorade Duel No. 2 - Kasey Kahne of Richard Petty Motorsports (Ford)

Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) enjoyed a solid outing in Thursday's Gatorade Duel, twin qualifying races that set the 43-car field for the season-opening Daytona 500. Fifty-four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers were evenly split among the two Duels, putting 27 drivers in each 150-mile race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala, was in the first Gatorade Duel. His SHR teammate, Tony Stewart, drove the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala in the second Gatorade Duel.

Stewart led SHR by finishing second to Duel No. 2 race winner Kasey Kahne by .014 of a second. Newman finished eighth in his Duel race.

Stewart started 11^th in his Duel race after notching the 21^st quickest lap in time trials. The two-time Sprint Cup champion led once for four laps before finishing in the runner-up spot. The strong effort gave Stewart an equally strong starting spot for Sunday, as he'll start sixth in the Daytona 500.

Newman started his Duel race in second by virtue of his third-fastest qualifying time in last Saturday's time trials. After running near the front of the pack late in the race, the 2008 Daytona 500 winner dropped back on the final lap and finished eighth. He will start 17^th in the Daytona 500.

Four-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson won the first Gatorade Duel by .005 of a second over Kevin Harvick. Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer and Regan Smith took spots three through five. The rest of the top-10 consisted of Jamie McMurray, A.J. Allmendinger, Newman, David Ragan and Jeff Gordon.

Finishing third in the second Gatorade Duel to Kahne and Stewart was Juan Pablo Montoya, while Kurt Busch and Elliott Sadler rounded-out the top-five. The rest of the top-10 consisted of Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Marcos Ambrose, David Reutimann and Brian Vickers.

With the Gatorade Duel races now complete, the field for the Daytona 500 is set. On the pole is Mark Martin and alongside him is his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. By notching the two quickest times during time trials, both drivers were able to lock themselves into the front row for the Daytona 500. All the remaining drivers, however, had to race their way to a starting spot via the Gatorade Duel.

Those who didn't make the cut and will be forced to watch the Daytona 500 from the sidelines are Casey Mears, Todd Bodine, David Gilliland, Terry Cook, Derrike Cope, Aric Almirola, Dave Blaney, Reed Sorenson, Mike Wallace, Norm Benning and Jeff Fuller.

The 52^nd Daytona 500 gets underway at 1 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 14 with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at noon.