DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch were the winners of Thursday’s two qualifying races for the Daytona 500, putting them in the second row for Sunday’s season-opening race. Earnhardt dominated the first 150-mile race and zipped around leader Denny Hamlin with six laps remaining to cruise to victory. It was Earnhardt’s 17th career win at Daytona and came on the 15th anniversary of his father’s death. The second race featured a multi-car wreck on the final lap, which could put several drivers in their backup cars for NASCAR’s biggest showcase. Jamie McMurray sent Jimmie Johnson into the wall, trigger a collision that also involved Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr. It wasn’t clear how much damage Kurt Busch and McMurray sustained.
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