The two Hendrick and Spire cars up front worked closely together to control the finish, and none of them made a move on each other until the finish line was in sight.
“A great way to get the blood pumping for sure on a Thursday night,” said Elliott. “There was a lot going on those last handful, really ever since we came off of pit road after the cycle, we were getting after it. It was a lot of fun.
“Had some great support there. Carson [Hocevar] did a great job helping me control those lanes, helping get Team Chevy for Victory Lane tonight. Certainly owe him an appreciation for just kind of sticking with it, also pushing me well. It’s real easy to get people out of control. Appreciate that.
“Nice to get the NAPA Chevy a win. Not a 500. I’ve been here before and not the other one, so you have to kind of learn to take it a day at a time. Look, a great way to start the speed week for our team. Proud of our effort, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, the boss, from top to bottom. Their commitment and will to win it pretty darn high. Proud to be a part of their team.”
With both McLeod and Yeley both losing the draft over the course of the caution-free race, Anthony Alfredo was able to breathe easy in the closing laps. He finished 18th, and locked himself into the Daytona 500 with the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet.
“I definitely don’t want to be in that position,” said Alfredo, who was holding back tears. “Making it on time is a lot easier. This is for the third time. It’s really cool (tearing up). My career has had a lot of ups and downs. You never know when you’re going to get another shot to race on any Sunday, especially the Daytona 500, The Great American Race.
“I have all my family here. My baby girl, Everleigh. I think I’ve only been this choked up twice in my life, when she was born, and (indiscernible) for the Daytona 500. It wouldn’t be possible without Beard Motorsports, a tremendous family. Women-owned NASCAR Cup Series team with a dream, carrying along Mark Beard Sr.’s legacy. And Dude Wipes. I wouldn’t be in my career without them. They’ve been my flagship partner in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. To come here and make the Daytona 500 together is a dream come true.
“I mean, missing it last year has haunted me until this very moment. This is the only thing that could blow that black cloud over.”
This will be Alfredo’s third start in the 500, and his first since 2024.
Chase Briscoe, who will start the 500 from the outside position on the front row, led much of the race. Similar to the first Duel, there was a lot of fuel-saving for the first half of the race.
The outside lane began to surge as pit stops approached, and McDowell found his way into the race lead.
With 15 laps to go, the green-flag pit stops began. There were no incidents, but Briscoe stopped short in his box, costing him several precious seconds. Connor Zilisch also mis-timed it, and was forced to pit by himself.
After the pit stop cycle, a line of Toyotas led by Erik Jones started to dart around a handful of cars that tried desperately to block their momentum. It was the closest the race came to an incident, but they got away with it.
Tyler Reddick took a turn out front until Hocevar powered around him. Soon after, Elliott seized the lead from Hocevar and never looked back.
