Office Depot/Mobil 1 Racing: Tony Stewart Gatorade Duel Race Report

Tony Stewart finished 12th in race one of Thursday’s Gatorade Duel, twin qualifying races that set the 43-car field for the season-opening Daytona 500. Forty-eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers were evenly split among the two Duels, putting 24 drivers in each 150-mile race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

The results mean that Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala for Stewart Haas Racing (SHR), will roll off 25th in Sunday’s 53rd Daytona 500.

Stewart avoided disaster on the second lap of his Gatorade Duel race when the necessary, yet nerve-wracking bump-drafting technique all drivers are forced to employ at Daytona, went awry. His SHR teammate, Ryan Newman, was just ahead of Stewart, with his rear bumper all but connected to the nose of Stewart’s Chevrolet. As the duo raced off turn two of the 2.5-mile superspeedway, they rapidly closed in on second-place Mark Martin, who had pushed Paul Menard into the lead. Martin moved to the high side of the track as his two-car tandem hit the backstretch, and when he did, Newman had to move high as well. That sudden, while subtle, move forced the nose of Stewart’s Chevy into Newman’s rear bumper, catching his No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet at an angle, which sent Newman spinning onto the backstretch skidpad. The fully paved runoff area allowed Newman to keep his car off the wall, and he was able to motor back to the pits for nothing more than a fresh set of tires.

Before Newman had even made it to pit road, Stewart called him on his radio asking if he and his car were alright. Newman answered in the affirmative, and rejoined Stewart when the race returned to green on lap six.

After a scheduled, green-flag pit stop on lap 40, Stewart and Newman returned as a two-car tandem. Stewart, however, could not be in the lead draft with a push from Newman, as his car became a handful. The two drivers swapped spots, with Newman becoming the pushee and Stewart being the pusher. When the checkered flag dropped, Newman was 10th and Stewart was 12th, with Jimmie Johnson as part of another two-car draft finishing between them in 11th.

Newman will start 21st in the Daytona 500.

Kurt Busch, who won last Saturday’s non-points Budweiser Shootout, kept on winning by taking the first Gatorade Duel by .065 of a second over second-place Regan Smith. Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne took spots three through five. The rest of the top-10 consisted of Juan Pablo Montoya, A.J. Allmendinger, Martin, Menard and Newman.

Jeff Burton won the second Gatorade Duel by .005 of a second over his Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer. Michael Waltrip, Kyle Busch and Brian Keselowski took spots three through five. The rest of the top-10 consisted of Jamie McMurray, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., and Carl Edwards.

With the Gatorade Duel races now complete, the field for the Daytona 500 is set. On the pole is Dale Earnhardt Jr., and alongside him is his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon. By notching the two quickest times during last Sunday’s time trials, both drivers were able to lock themselves into the front row for the Daytona 500.

Unfortunately for Earnhardt, he crashed his qualified car during Wednesday’s practice session and will use a backup car for Sunday’s race. While the record books will forever list him as the pole winner for the 53rd Daytona 500, he will have to drop to the rear of the field before the green flag per the NASCAR rulebook.

Those who didn’t make the cut and will be forced to watch the Daytona 500 from the sidelines are Derrike Cope, Kevin Conway, Todd Bodine, Michael McDowell and Casey Mears.

The Daytona 500 gets underway at 1 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 20 with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at noon.