Jimmie Johnson and Michael Waltrip had already ensured their positions on the front row of this years Daytona 500. Yesterday, Hamlin and Earnhardt joined them in guaranteeing thier spots in the race. Dale Jr started his race by dropping back to nearly dead last place, and with 9 laps to go he had worked his way to the front, and, while fending off Reed Sorenson, took the win in the first duel.

Hamlin won Duel number 2, by accepting a push from his team mate, Tony Stewart, in the second green-white-checkered finish of the day. This was the first premier class win for Toyota in its two years of racing NASCAR. Stewart ended up finishing second, giving toyota the 1-2, with Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne following.

As a result of the races, Dale Jarett, Kenny Wallace, and John Andretti snuck into making the final grid. Former F1 World Champion Jaques Villeneuve missed the cut, by crashing out of race two and triggering a pile up that also took out Dario Franchitti and Stanton Barrett.

Dario Franchitti, as a result will have to start his first Daytona 500 from 40th of 43 racers. Sam Hornish Jr and Juan Pablo Montoya made the field, in 19th and 15th respectively.

The Daytona 500 begins Sunday 2/17/08 at 12:30PM PST

Final Starting Order:
1. Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe's Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 48.109secs
2. Michael Waltrip #55 NAPA Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing 48.197secs
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr #88 AMP/Nat. Guard Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
4. Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
5. Reed Sorenson #41 Target Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
6. Tony Stewart #20 Home Depot Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
7. Ryan Newman #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing
8. Jeff Gordon #24 DuPont Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
9. Casey Mears #5 Carquest/Kelloggs Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
10. Kasey Kahne #9 Budweiser Dodge Gillett-Evernham Motorsport
11. Carl Edwards #99 Office Depot Ford Roush-Fenway Racing
12. Mark Martin #8 US Army Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Inc
13. Bobby Labonte #43 Cheerios Dodge Petty Enterprises
14. David Ragan #6 AAA Ford Roush-Fenway Racing
15. Juan Montoya #42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
16. Kevin Harvick #29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
17. Kenny Wallace #87 Furniture Row Chevrolet Furniture Row Racing
18. Greg Biffle #16 3M Ford Roush-Fenway Racing
19. Sam Hornish Jr* #77 Mobil 1 Dodge Penske Racing
20. Dale Jarrett #44 UPS Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
21. Paul Menard #15 Menards/Peak Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Inc
22. John Andretti #34 Makoto Chevrolet Front Row Motorsport
23. Brian Vickers #83 Red Bull Toyota Red Bull Racing
24. Kyle Busch #18 M&M's Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
25. Martin Truex Jr #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Inc
26. Robby Gordon #7 Jim Beam Dodge Robby Gordon Motorsport
27. Scott Riggs #66 State Water Htrs Chevrolet Haas CNC Racing
28. Matt Kenseth #17 DeWalt Ford Roush-Fenway Racing
29. Regan Smith* #01 Principal Finan'l Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Inc
30. Travis Kvapil #28 K&N Filters Ford Yates Racing
31. Clint Bowyer #07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
32. David Gilliland #38 FreeCreditReport Ford Yates Racing
33. Jeremy Mayfield #70 Midnight Moonshine Chevrolet Haas CNC Racing
34. Dave Blaney #22 Caterpillar Toyota Bill Davis Racing
35. Elliott Sadler #19 Best Buy Dodge Gillett-Evernham Motorsport
36. Jeff Burton #31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
37. JJ Yeley #96 DLP HDTV Toyota Hall of Fame Racing
38. Jamie McMurray #26 Crown Royal Ford Roush-Fenway Racing
39. Kyle Petty #45 Wells Fargo Dodge Petty Enterprises
40. Dario Franchitti* #40 Dodge Journey Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing
41. Joe Nemechek #78 Furniture Row Chevrolet Furniture Row Racing
42. David Reutimann #00 Aaron's Toyota Michael Waltrip Racing
43. Kurt Busch #2 Miller Lite Dodge Penske Racing