Daytona 500 2023: Starting Order, Top Drivers to Watch in the Duels

The Daytona Duels set the tone for the Daytona 500.

The pair of qualifying races set the lineup from third to 40th place, and they give the racers a chance to feel out who will be working with them on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.

Each of Thursday's two duels will be 60 laps, or 150 miles, and the lineups will be set by open qualifying on Wednesday.

Qualifying will determine the front row of the Daytona 500. The drivers who finish in the odd-numbered positions in qualifying will participate in the first duel, and the second duel features racers in the even-numbered positions.

The winner of the first duel will start third on Sunday. The second-place finisher from the first duel will start fifth and so on. The second duel fills out the outside row, with the winner starting in fourth place.

Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin have the most duel wins of any active drivers with three. Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano all have two duel victories each.

RFK Racing teammates Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher are the reigning winners of the duels.

Denny Hamlin has more advantages than other drivers at a track like Daytona, where racers have to rely on other drivers to keep them in the draft at the front of the field.

Hamlin has three teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing in Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr., and he could work with Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick from the 23XI Racing team he co-owns with Michael Jordan.

Hamlin will not know which friendly drivers he will participate in the duels with until Wednesday's open qualifying is over, but there is a good chance he will have at least one connection in his duel.

Hamlin is a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He knows how to balance patience and aggressiveness amid a group of cars at Daytona as well as anyone in the field.

The No. 11 car driver is in need of a good duel finish after he finished eighth, 11th and 13th in his last three duel appearances.

Hamlin's result might be determined by how many teammates he can work with over 60 laps, but he could also use his experience to maneuver his way through the field and remain at the front.

Team Penske has a good string of recent results in the duels.

Ryan Blaney put his Penske car into third and sixth place in his last two duel appearances.

Blaney was at the front of the field in last year's Daytona 500, as he helped push teammate Austin Cindric to victory.

Penske could prioritize Blaney after he helped the team secure a victory a year ago.

Blaney has three top-10 finishes in his last four Daytona races, including a win in August 2021.

The 29-year-old has proved that he is one of the strongest drivers in the field at Daytona, and he should be at the front of the pack for most of his duel.

Michael McDowell is one of the best drivers at Daytona outside of the top teams.

The No. 34 car is typically near the front of the pack at Daytona, and that allowed him to become a surprise Daytona 500 winner in 2021.

McDowell finished second behind Buescher in the second duel last season. He translated his high start on the grid to a seventh-place finish.

He has landed inside the top 15 in each of his last four Daytona 500 starts, and while he does not have the horsepower to match the top teams, he has the perfect strategy to avoid wrecks and work his way up the field.

McDowell's Daytona track record speaks for itself, and if he continues his run of smart racing, he will be in the mix for a duel victory.