Casey Mears, BJ McLeod Claim Final Daytona 500 Spots
Joey Logano won the fourth America 250 Florida Duel of his career on Thursday night to secure a third-place starting spot in Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“Just a lot of teamwork all the way through,” Logano said of the win. “I think about the 22 team in particular. Nick Hensley, our gas man, did a fantastic job getting us in position out of pit road. (Spotter) Coleman Pressley up on the roof giving us great information. My teammate Ryan Blaney being committed and working together.
“It’s nice when everything works out the way it’s supposed to.”
Let’s keep the Daytona momentum going…
— Joey Logano (@joeylogano) February 13, 2026
Duel 1 Winner 🏁@Team_Penske @ShellStationsUS @Pennzoil @FordRacing @CocaColaRacing #CokePartner @hbpRacing @PlanetFitness #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/vs3fwIf02b
In a second Duel that ran caution-free, Chase Elliott took control of the race on Lap 53 of 60 and held off Carson Hocevar by 0.065 seconds to win his third 150-mile qualifying race and earn the fourth starting position for the Daytona 500.
“A great way to get the blood pumping for sure on a Thursday night,” said Elliott, who is seeking his first Daytona 500 win. “There was a lot going on those last handful (of laps). Really, ever since we came off of pit road after the cycle, we were getting after it. It was a lot of fun.
All eyes on Sunday now! 👊🏼 pic.twitter.com/2U4xhEVabA
— Chase Elliott (@chaseelliott) February 13, 2026
Casey Mears came from a lap down to earn the one Open position in the Daytona 500 available from the first Duel. Mears advanced when fellow Open competitor Corey LaJoie — running in the top five at the time — turned into the outside wall in a chain-reaction collision on the final lap of overtime.
Anthony Alfredo had a relatively stress-free run to claim the Daytona 500 spot available to Open cars in the second Duel, or so he thought. Though Alfredo finished 18th, 23 seconds ahead of BJ McLeod — the next-best Open driver — his finish was disallowed after post-race inspection, and McLeod will compete in the “Great American Race” on Sunday.
According to NASCAR Cup Series director Brad Moran, a transmission cooling hose on Alfredo’s No. 62 Chevrolet was not fastened properly, and another hose was disconnected, affecting both cooling and airflow.
NEWS: With the No. 62's finishing position in Duel 2 disallowed following post-race inspection, @bjmcleod78 now joins @CJMearsGang as the remaining two open cars to qualify for the #DAYTONA500. pic.twitter.com/ugYSFL1AmJ
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 13, 2026
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