Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch won Thursday's traditional qualifying races, and Tampa's 24-year-old Aric Almirola raced like he believes he can win Sunday's 51st Daytona 500.
Gordon, winless last year for the first time since 1993, held off Tony Stewart, 18-year-old rookie Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson. And Busch, an eight-race winner last year, won a frenetic last-lap battle with Mark Martin and Brian Vickers.
Almirola added to an impressive week. After qualifying seventh and leading practice for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing on Wednesday, he raced in the top five in the closing laps of his race and wound up fifth.
"We had a shot at winning," Almirola said. "If we had gotten the right help, and if I had made the right move, we might have won. ... It's exciting. It makes me excited about Sunday."
Crew chief Brian Pattie of Zephyrhills earned a fourth-place finish in the second race with Juan Pablo Montoya, and Zephyrhills' David Reutimann finished 15th after bumping Ryan Newman into the wall.
The 150-mile Duels completed the lineup for Sunday's race, with Gordon and Busch taking the second-row starting spots behind Martin Truex Jr. and Martin.
Under a complicated qualifying format, Scott Riggs, Regan Smith, Jeremy Mayfield and A.J. Allmendinger took the final spots in Sunday's 43-car field. Terry Labonte got in with the former champion's provisional.
COVERAGE, PAGE 3
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