NASCAR: Live Coverage Of The Budweiser Duels From Daytona

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to Beyond The Flag’s live coverage of the 2015 Budweiser Duels from Daytona International Speedway. We will be bringing you live race updates, coverage and analysis all night long. Be sure to keep this page open and refresh the feed for new updates. Also, feel free to chat with us during the race! You can interact with us by commenting below or reaching out to us via social media.

Our live coverage will begin tonight at 7:00 PM ET.

Who is your picks to win tonight? While you’re waiting for the races to begin let us know your predictions, if you predict both races correctly we might just send you something cool.

Christopher Olmstead is the Editor of BeyondTheFlag.com on the FanSided Network. Follow us on Twitter @Beyond_The_Flag and “Like” us on Facebook.

Pre-race coverage is underway!

• Boy, Kenny Wallace hasn’t aged all that well.
• The command has been given!!
• Danica Patrick fans should be nervous tonight and I’m pulling for Blaney and the No. 21 team.

Budweiser Duel No. 1

• pace laps are underway, we will be green in a few minutes.
• GREEN FLAG!
• LAP 1 – Kenseth leads the first lap.
• LAP 5 – Earnhardt Jr. is up to 12th and Kenseth looks stout.
• LAP 6 – Gordon is caught in the middle and sliding back in the field. Kahne got loose but corrected it.
• LAP 10 – Michael McDowell is in fifth. Kenseth leads and Bayne is in second.
• LAP 15 – Kenseth leads as Earnhardt Jr. is moving all over the track to find a spot that he likes.
• LAP 16 – Stewart falls to the back after losing his drafting partner and being pushed to the high side.

CAUTION – Mears loses an engine on the No. 13 machine. The pit window is open. Mears blew up in front of Stewart.

• Race off of pit road: 24, 1, 6, 20 and 43.
• Annett and McDowell penalized on that stop, can’t hide from the cameras.
• LAP 23 – About to go back to green. Bowyer, Stewart and Yeley have four fresh tires.
• LAP 24 – Gordon leads at Daytona.
• LAP 27 – Kenseth leads with Gordon and Menard in tow.

CAUTION – Sauter into the grass! Allmendinger is also torn up. Sauter came down and Allmendinger came up and they are both trashed. Team wants Allmendinger to get back out and he isn’t feeling that it’s possible. There is also damage to Almirola in the No. 43.

Apparently someone of the No. 47 team missed the day when the team talked about how to put out fires. Slapping and kicking the flames might not be the preferred method.

• LAP 32 – Allmendinger visibly disappointed. Logano was flagged on the pit stop for his jackman jumping too soon.
• LAP 34 – Green Flag! Here comes JR. up to second!
• LAP 36 – Bowyer is making his way through the field as Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead.
• LAP 40 – Cole Whitt is running in sixth place at the moment, nice run for him right now with 20 laps to go.
• LAP 44 – 20, 88 and 24 are at the front while the drivers around 15th place are starting to move around and make some moves.
• LAP 48 – Earnhardt Jr. leads Gordon and Kahne. Kenseth and Keselowski are lurking with 12 laps to go.
• LAP 50 – 7th-19th is insane right now, three-wide racing!

CAUTION – Bayne goes into the wall, Larson also has damage with only nine laps to go! Bayne got loose getting into the corner and clipped Larson. Larson does have some damage and Bayne is in rough shape.

Kenseth and Keselowski got four tires under the caution, watch out for them. Whitt will restart in 7th, could be a big finish for him.

• LAP 54 – The field is coming to the restart with six laps to go.
• LAP 58 – Kenseth isn’t really moving and Logano dives into second!
• LAP 60 – Earnhardt Jr. wins the duel and Cassill and Whitt will race in the 500 along with Ty Dillon. Check out BTF for the final running order!

Ron Hornaday Jr. and Justin Marks are the only drivers who are oficially not going to make the Daytona 500 field.

All eyes will be on Danica Patrick in this race. Mears, Allmendinger and Sauter are all on the bubble right now. Four more drivers will be knocked out of the field after the second duel race.

Budweiser Duel No. 2

The command has been given and the engines have been fired.

• LAP 1 – Green Flag!
• LAP 2 – Josh Wise to the garage area. Danica Patrick has picked up a few spots as Kyle Busch leads.
• LAP 6 – Busch and Edwards working together with Johnson and Dillon on the outside.
• LAP 9 – Danica Patrick inside of the top-15 but it’s still very early.
• LAP 13 – Edwards pushing Busch and Patrick pushing the other Busch.
• LAP 17 – Hamlin and Patrick are inside of the top-10. Busch and Edwards continue to run in the front two spots.

CAUTION – Ragan slides across the track after contact with Allgaier. Ragan can’t keep it off the inside wall and has substantial damage to the right rear. Allagier contact was after Ragan was already wrecking. Ragan might be on the outside looking in now when it comes to the Daytona 500.

During pit stops Edwards slid through his pit box, looks like it’s a result of some earlier break issues on the No. 19 machine.

• LAP 27 – Dillon and Johnson take the green flag. Kyle Busch to the back after speeding on pit road.
• LAP 30 – Johnson continues to lead while Busch tries to work his way back through the field. Patrick has fallen back to 19th and Hamlin is in the top-five.
• LAP 35 – Johnson, Kurt Busch and Truex Jr. continue to run in the front. Kyle Busch has regrouped while Patrick is in 15th.

CAUTION – Big wreck! Burton, Bowman, Dillon and Hornish Jr. all involved. Bowman got turned when Burton got into Hornish Jr. and Dillon clipped the grass trying to avoid the wreck. Bowman takes blame for putting his team back there but he did not cause the wreck. David Ragan is now back on the lead lap.

• LAP 38 – Johnson and his team are discussing the weather, obviously there car is pretty good.
• LAP 40 – Johnson and Truex Jr. lead the field to the green with 20 laps to go!
• LAP 45 – Johnson has a strong car tonight. Both Busch’s are right behind Johnson as is Truex Jr. and Hamlin.
• LAP 47 – Kurt Busch gets the black flag for passing under the double yellow line.
• LAP 53 – Johnson and Kyle Busch lead the way as Patrick falls to 15th after being hung out to dry by Edwards.

CAUTION – Hamlin turns Patrick who collects Bobby Labonte. Not what fans of the No. 10 wanted to see with three laps to go.