Now we’re Racin! The sounds of powerful stock car engines and the smell of burning rubber were once again in Daytona Beach Florida.

The qualifying races for the Daytona Five Hundred were run Thursday afternoon. These are now called the Duels. They are one hundred twenty five miles of door to door racing at speeds over one hundred eighty miles per hour. These two races determine the starting order of cars three through thirty nine for Sundays’ running of the Great American Race. Now the field is set.

In the first race of the afternoon Jeff Gordon proved he could still get to victory lane. It was his first win since 2007. He was a very proud father holding his beautiful little daughter as he did his victory celebration.

In the second qualifier Kyle Busch continued his winning ways from 2008 by holding off Mark Martin for the win. Last year Busch won twenty races in three NASCAR series; Craftsmen Truck, Nationwide, and Sprint Cup, becoming the dominant driver of the year. Some call him Wild Thing for the way he can drive a race car. He puts on one heck of a show, it doesn’t matter what he’s driving.

Another young driver that was impressive on the Daytona super speedway yesterday was eighteen year old Joey Logano. For the first time during speed weeks he seemed to be comfortable driving the high banked oval.

There were two cars from each race that had to qualify for the Sunday show. Jeremy Mayfield was one of those, he started a new team recently, prepared a car and managed to race his way into show on Sunday. After the race he looked both relieved and elated not to have to load up and head home as roughly eighteen driver did. 

Fan favorite Tony Stewart an Indiana native; also started his own team in the off season was another driver who raced his way into the show. Stewart showed his Chevy was one of the cars to beat in Sundays’ race.

Others that should be favorites for the Daytona 500 are Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all Chevy drivers for the ever strong Hendrick Racing stable out of Charlotte North Carolina.