As long as pole winner Danica Patrick makes it through the Budweiser Duel today, Feb. 21, she'll retain her top seed for Daytona 500. If she happens to crash or a backup car is needed however, she'll have to start the race from the back of the field instead of the front.
The Budweiser Duel, two 150-mile qualifying races, will set the overall field for Sunday's 500, which begs to question why is Patrick even starting up her engine?
"We're going to race hard," Tony Gibson, Patrick's crew chief said to USA Today Sports. "We'll try to stay up there and lead laps. But if it gets crazy, we'll get out of it, we'll go back there and ride for a while. But we're not parking it unless something breaks."
Patrick became the first woman to ever win a pole position in the Sprint Cup Series this weekend, something that NASCAR Hall of Famer and Fox Sports analyst Darrell Waltrip feels is too important to chance.
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"As long as you can stay in the lead, stay there," said Waltrip to USA Today Sports. "But as soon as they start coming by you left, right, bring it to the garage. That's how important it is for her to start on the pole Sunday. Not only to her, but to all of us.
The Duels allow drivers the opportunity to learn more about drafting in NASCAR'S new Gen 6 vehicles before the big race, something that NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth says is a great opportunity everyone should take advantage of.
"To me, the Duels are the most important part of the week," said Kenseth, the defending Daytona 500 champion to USA Today Sports. "That's better than any test you can do."
Both races determine the starting lineup for the 500, which can be NASCAR'S trickiest events. Not only are drivers trying to earn spots in the race, they're still trying to learn the ins and outs of their vehicles still. Since you don't want to crash your vehicle however, a lot of drivers, like Patrick, may take it easy which in the end doesn't help you prepare for the big race.
Some experts feel drivers should risk crashing if it means they'll have more of an advantage come race day.
"If something should happen, then they'll just have to deal with that," said ESPN analyst Dale Jarrett to USA Today Sports. "They still know they won the pole and they had the fastest car. She needs the experience out there in race conditions as much as she possibly can to get herself ready for Sunday, to get the best finish and opportunity to get herself in the best position."
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