Mears had no chance at making the Daytona 500 with two to go after falling two laps down in a lap 45 spin in Duel 1. Fate changed when a late caution put Mears back on the lead lap. On the last lap, Corey LaJoie’s open entry got turned into the wall, and Mears emerged from the carnage.

“I can’t believe it,” Mears said. 

The 47-year-old driver thought the dream of starting his first Great American Race since 2016 was out of reach until the smoke cleared in the final moments.

“Everything was completely stacked against us from top to bottom,” Mears said. “Thank God we were in the right place, right time, didn’t damage the car too much, able to get it home.”

Mears suffered minor damage when Daniel Suárez got into the back of LaJoie, sending him careening into the turn three barrier in front of the pack. Ross Chastain and AJ Allmendinger were among several cars involved.

William Byron, winner of the past two Daytona 500s, and Chandler Smith were involved in a crash on lap 57. Byron will start his three-peat quest from the rear of the pack in a backup car. 

Team Penske resumed its 2025 superspeedway form with Joey Logano winning his fourth career Duel race and Ryan Blaney in second. Logano led 15 laps, the second-most behind Ryan Preece.

“We learned some things,” Logano said after winning the first Duel of the night. “I think the whole field has learned that pushing each other is pretty sketchy.”

Logano felt the field’s ability to push was “awful,” and no driver looked comfortable being pushed. The aging track surface paired with NextGen racing could create a chaotic race come Sunday.

I don’t know what’s different to make the whole field that way,” Logano said. “Could just be a little thing like that that may be different. I don’t know.”

While Duel 1 saw more than half the field receive damage, Duel 2 proved to be docile. 

Chase Briscoe led from the green flag, holding down the first position for 38 of the first 45 laps.

Green flag pit stops shuffled the running order, and Chase Elliott emerged with the lead and eventual race win. The victory marked Elliott’s third Duel trophy, and he will start fourth in the Daytona 500.

“A great way to get the blood pumping for sure,” Elliott said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Anthony Alfredo finished 18th for Beard Motorsports, beating JJ Yeley and BJ McLeod to qualify for Sunday’s race.

“To come here and make the Daytona 500 together is a dream come true,” Alfredo said through tears during a post-race interview. “Missing it last year has haunted me until this very moment. My career has a lot of ups and downs, and you never know when you get another shot to race on any Sunday, especially the Daytona 500.”

However, NASCAR disallowed Alfredo’s finish following post-race technical inspection. According to Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, NASCAR Cup Series Director Brad Moran said a transaxle cooling hose was loose and a driver cooling hose wasn't attached properly.

BJ McLeod and his No. 78 team, Live Fast Motorsports, will now lock into the race.

The 41-car field for the 68th Daytona 500 is settled. Alfredo, LaJoie, Yeley and Smith will have to wait another year to try their hand at one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events.

Two more practice sessions await the field for the final shakedown. Daytona 500 coverage begins Sunday, Feb. 15, at 2:30 p.m. ET and will broadcast on Fox in 4K for the first time.