2014 Budweiser Duels
The 2014 Budweiser Duels were a pair of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car races that were held on February 20, 2014, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Both contested over 60 laps, they were the qualifying races for the 2014 Daytona 500. Joe Gibbs Racing swept the Duel races, with Matt Kenseth winning the first race. Kevin Harvick finished second, while Kasey Kahne, Marcos Ambrose and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top five. Denny Hamlin won the second race, ahead of Jeff Gordon, while Kurt Busch, Paul Menard and Brian Scott rounded out the top five.
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Location | Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) |
| Distance | Race 1: 60 laps, 150 mi (240 km) Race 2: 60 laps, 150 mi (240 km) |
| Avg Speed | Race 1: 192.259 mph (309.411 km/h) Race 2: 192.651 mph (310.042 km/h) |
| Weather | Mostly clear with a temperature of 73 °F (23 °C); wind out of the southeast at 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) |
| Race 1 | |
| Pole position | Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing) 45.914 seconds |
| Most laps led | Matt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing) (31) |
| Winner | Matt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing) |
| Race 2 | |
| Pole position | Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing) 45.953 |
| Most laps led | Brad Keselowski (Team Penske) (34) |
| Winner | Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing) |
| Television | |
| Network | Fox Sports 1 & MRN |
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds (Television) Joe Moore and Barney Hall (Booth) Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Jeff Striegle (3 & 4) (Turns) (Radio) |
| Nielsen Ratings | 2.0 (3.122 Million) |
These were the first Budweiser Duel races to be held in primetime, as the races were previously held in the early afternoon. The Duels were telecast on Fox Sports 1.