Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton Take Gatorade Wins at Daytona

Associated Press

Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton capture the Gatorade Duels

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jeff Burton has won the second Daytona 500 qualifying race by beating teammate Clint Bowyer to the finish line.

NASCAR sensation Brad Keselowski also pushed his unheralded older brother, Brian, through the field Thursday and into a transfer spot that earned him his first spot in the Daytona 500.

Brian Keselowski, who is two years older than his brother, cried in his car. He'll make his Sprint Cup debut in NASCAR's biggest race of the season.

Kurt Busch won the first of the qualifying races, which set the field for the Daytona 500.

Bill Elliott and J.J. Yeley earned the transfer spots in the first race, while Michael Waltrip joined Brian Keselowski with spots from the second race.

The first Duel set the starting order for the inside row (odd-numbered positions) in the 53rd running of NASCAR's most important race. Smith, who finished second, will start third in the 500. Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne finished third, fourth and fifth and will start fifth, seventh and ninth, respectively, on Sunday.

Bill Elliott and J.J. Yeley claimed the two transfer positions into the Daytona 500, thanks to Duel finishes of 15th and 17th. Because Elliott won't have to fall back on his qualifying time, Michael Waltrip also will race on Sunday, based on his fourth-best qualifying speed among those not locked into the 500.

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Gatorade Duel - Race 1 Results (Kurt Busch Wins)

Gatorade Duel - Race 2 results (Jeff Burton Wins)

Hendrick Motorsports Captures Daytona 500 Front Row, Earnhardt Jr. on Pole

Sporting News Wire Service

Earnhardt Jr captured his first ever restrictor plate pole

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The pressure's off Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- until next Sunday, that is.

In Sunday's qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway, Earnhardt edged Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon for the top starting spot in next Sunday's season-opening Daytona 500.

Turning a lap in 48.364 seconds (186.089 mph), Earnhardt claimed the 10th Coors Light pole award of his career and his first at a restrictor-plate superspeedway. He'll try to win NASCAR's most prestigious race for the second time in the 400th start of his Cup career.

What Earnhardt -- and Gordon, for that matter -- won't have to worry about is racing for position in Thursday's Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying races at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Under the unique qualify procedure for the Daytona 500, the two fastest drivers in time trials are locked into the front row.

The rest of the field for the 53rd running of the Great American Race won't be set until the Duels are completed.

"The main thing [the pole] does for me is take the pressure off Thursday's race," said Earnhardt, who will start from the top spot in the first qualifying race. "I can go out and have fun and not worry about where I finish or getting a good starting spot for the Daytona 500."

Gaining a slight edge through Turn 1, Earnhardt narrowly beat Gordon (48.396 seconds, 185.966 mph) for the top spot on the grid.

It was the third Daytona 500 front-row sweep for Hendrick Motorsports, which placed Ken Schrader and Darrell Waltrip first and second in 1989. Mark Martin won the pole for last year's 500, with Earnhardt starting on the outside of the front row.

Daytona 500 Qualifying Results 

2011 Gatorade Duel Starting Lineups