NASCAR: 2018 Daytona 500 starting grid set following Can-Am Duels
By Asher Fair
With qualifying complete, take a look at the starting lineup for the 60th annual Daytona 500, which is the first race of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season.
This past Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman claimed the pole for the 60th annual Daytona 500 in the final qualifying attempt of the day in his #88 Chevrolet to open up the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Bowman did so by bumping Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin off of the provisional pole in his #11 Toyota just after Hamlin had just bumped Bowman’s teammate Jimmie Johnson off of the provisional pole in his #48 Chevrolet.
With the front row for this Sunday’s Daytona 500 set, the two Can-Am Duels took place on Thursday night to determine the remainder of the starting lineup for the race from positions 3rd all the way through 40th.
More from NASCAR
- NASCAR Cup Series: New team set to compete in 2024
- NASCAR: Will Kevin Harvick’s major record ever be broken?
- NASCAR: Surprising name continuously linked to new seat
- NASCAR driver at risk of missing the Daytona 500?
- NASCAR set for rare appearance last seen 13 years ago
Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney won the first Can-Am Duel in his #12 Ford to position himself in 3rd place to start the Daytona 500 behind only the two front row starters. He won the race after leading only six laps. The race lasted 63 laps as opposed to the scheduled 60 because of a late wreck that caused the race to go into overtime.
Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott won the second Can-Am Duel in his #9 Chevrolet to position himself in 4th place to start the Daytona 500. In three prior Daytona 500 starts in his career, Elliott started from the pole position twice and never started lower than 4th. He has now won a Duel race in two seasons.
Here is the starting lineup for this Sunday’s Daytona 500.
| Rank | Driver | Car, Team, Engine |
| 1 | Alex Bowman | #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota |
| 3 | Ryan Blaney | #12, Team Penske, Ford |
| 4 | Chase Elliott | #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 5 | Joey Logano | #22, Team Penske, Ford |
| 6 | Kevin Harvick | #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford |
| 7 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 8 | Erik Jones | #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota |
| 9 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford |
| 10 | Clint Bowyer | #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford |
| 11 | Kurt Busch | #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford |
| 12 | Kyle Busch | #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota |
| 13 | Ryan Newman | #31, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet |
| 14 | Austin Dillon | #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet |
| 15 | David Ragan | #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford |
| 16 | Paul Menard | #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford |
| 17 | Daniel Suarez | #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota |
| 18 | Trevor Bayne | #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford |
| 19 | Jamie McMurray | #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet |
| 20 | AJ Allmendinger | #47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet |
| 21 | Chris Buescher | #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet |
| 22 | Michael McDowell | #34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford |
| 23 | Ty Dillon | #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet |
| 24 | Martin Truex Jr. | #78, Furniture Row Racing, Toyota |
| 25 | Brendan Gaughan | #62, Beard Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 26 | Kasey Kahne | #95, Leavine Family Racing, Chevrolet |
| 27 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | #00, StarCom Racing, Chevrolet |
| 28 | Danica Patrick | #7, Premium Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 29 | Justin Marks | #51, Rick Ware Racing, Chevrolet |
| 30 | D.J. Kennington | #96, Gaunt Brothers Racing, Toyota |
| 31 | Brad Keselowski | #2, Team Penske, Ford |
| 32 | Corey Lajoie | #72, TriStar Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 33 | William Byron | #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 34 | Gray Gaulding | #23, BK Racing, Toyota |
| 35 | Jimmie Johnson | #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 36 | Matt DiBenedetto | #32, Go Fas Racing, Ford |
| 37 | Aric Almirola | #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford |
| 38 | Kyle Larson | #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet |
| 39 | David Gilliland | #92, RBR Enterprises, Ford |
| 40 | Mark Thompson | #66, MBM Motorsports, Ford |
Next: Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time
Be sure to tune in to FOX on Sunday at 2:00 pm ET to watch this year’s edition of the Daytona 500, as it is set to be broadcast live at that time with Alex Bowman and Denny Hamlin leading the field to the green flag on the front row with Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott right behind them.