Daytona Duel #1 Results

Quick-Silver Motorsports and Race-2-Win have dominated the Daytona Duels, winning the previous six with Ken Pettit at the helm for two! The #8 Bob Marley Chevrolet will compete in Race #2, with teammate Rick Jackson as the lone-wolf to keep their streak alive. The team struggled mightily in the Big Bud Shootout, hoping the added practice will prepare for a comeback of the Gods. Ryan Heuser and Craig Lee will represent the NOS Energy brigade, hoping to put Quick-Silver Motorsports in victory lane for a fourth-straight year, and earn a front-row spot in the Daytona 500!

Steve Inkman, Dong Sup Park, David Butterworth, Mark Heron, Nigel Ramasawmy, Kevin Corbat, Tony Gunk and Rhamondre Diggs will fight amongst themselves for entry into the Daytona 500! The top-5 advance, with Park and Diggs running their first competitive laps in Extravaganza! Or so we thought..... Before the green, Dong Sup Park and Ben Geer made contact on the pace lap, spinning the #66 into the frontstretch apron. "Dong thought the starting gear was first." said crew chief Lester Bryant. "He downshifted and spun the car. We'll get better from here."

Fifth-place qualifier Rick Jackson also failed to start, blowing an ignition on the pace-lap! The field finally went green with Zach Michael and Ryan Heuser leading the charge. Heuser, Timothy McDonnell, John Tharp  and Matthew Dominique showcased the strongest mettle, dominating the initial 20-lap stint. Then, disaster struck. Tony Gunk and Markell Murphy tangled in turn-3, clipping Dan Johnston and Craig Lee as all four catapulted into the outside wall!

Craig Lee went to the garage, with Tony Gunk severely down on speed for the remaining distance. The #59 Kelpo Dodge would fail to make the Daytona 500, decimating the right-front assembly after slapping the barrier. Amazingly, he would continue despite the handicap, citing the "Kelpo Cam" as the impetus for continuing. Johnston, Murphy and Trae Larkin also failed to keep pace, drafting in a conga-line towards the rear as David Butterworth, Mark Heron, Steve Inkman, Kevin Corbat, Nigel Ramasawmy and Rhamondre Diggs fight for the top-five transfer spots!

Timothy McDonnell led the restart, leading through lap-28 before Ryan Heuser re-took the advantage. Pole-sitter Zach Michael made a track-bar adjustment during the stops, balancing  his loose condition in hopes of meandering back to the front! He would not dissapoint. The #20, #22 and #138 swapped the lead several times during the second-stint. Every driver in the field should make it on fuel, with no need to risk losing the draft by playing it safe. By lap-35, 18 cars remained in contention.

Timothy McDonnell gets turned! the #22 Caterpillar Volkswagen clips the lapped car of Tony Gunk, soaring both cars into he outside wall in turn-1. McDonnell slides down, getting his rear-end disemboweled by Ziggy Moonglow and Michael Henson as they fail to bypass the accident. David Butterworth and Trae Larkin collide with the spinning #02 while Alex Crapser disintegrates his front-end after another hard blow to the #22! Miraculously, Crapser and McDonnell jumped out of their cars in tact. Moonglow wasn't as fortunate, eventually air-lifted to the Halifax Medical Center. Gunk, Spears, Henson and Butterworth all came out swelling, though alive to tell the tale.

By the 40th lap, Mark Heron, Kevin Corbat, Steve Inkman, Rhamondre Diggs and Nigel Ramasawmy had clinched their spot in the 2026 Daytona 500! David Butterworth, Tony Gunk and Dong Sup Park were sent packing, leaving a 2025 winner, a Rookie of the Year contender and a man who's made every one of his Daytona 500 attempts out of the show. What a blow! Up front, Ryan Heuser, Ben Geer, Chauncey Redmond Jr. and Zach Michael dominate the 20-lap shootout to the finish. The #138 NOS Energy Chevrolet took the advantage with 5-to-go, passing Redmond on the inside of turn-1.

Zach Michael and Matthew Dominique failed to mount a charge, handing Ryan Heuser the victory for Duel #1, and extending Quick-Silver Motorsports' Daytona Duel winning-streak to four. Congrats to Ryan, crew chief Mustard Mahoney and the entire Quick-Silver Motorsports organization for earning $1,000,000 and the Daytona 500 pole! Also congratulations to Mark Heron, Kevin Corbat, Steve Inkman, Rhamondre Diggs and Nigel Ramasawmy for making the 2026 Daytona 500 field!