For Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller, it was the superspeedway where they played as children and watched their father win 34 races before he lost his life in the 2001 Daytona 500. Now, the brother and sister return to the 2.5-mile superspeedway for their first start in the Daytona 500 with their team – JR Motorsports.

Thursday's Daytona duels set the field for the 2025 Daytona 500 NASCAR Cup Series race, which takes place Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. Bubba Wallace won Duel 1 on Thursday, while Austin Cindric won Duel 2.

With a multi-car wreck bringing out the caution as the field raced toward the checkered flag, Austin Cindric won Duel 2 at Daytona International Speedway in a photo finish over Erik Jones. Chris Buescher,

Bubba Wallace won a Duel Thursday. Erik Jones did, too, until a review gave the victory to Austin Cindric. And Corey LaJoie is in the Daytona 500.