NASCAR at Daytona Duels recap: Aric Almirola, Joey Logano win; Frankie Muniz fast in ARCA warmup

DAYTONA BEACH — The front row is set, and 38 of the 42 teams in town are now guaranteed starts in Sunday's Daytona 500.

The final field, as well as how that field will line up at Sunday's start, will be decided by tonight's pair of 150-mile qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson and Travis Pastrana, two of the six drivers without guaranteed starting spots, earned their chance through Wednesday night's pole qualifying. They were the two fastest of the six "outsiders," with the other two being decided by how they finish in tonight's races.

DAYTONA QUALIFYING RECAPAlex Bowman on pole; Travis Pastrana, Jimmie Johnson make the race

NASCAR QNAYou wonder why Chase Elliott tops the odds boards for Daytona and beyond?

TRAVIS PASTRANAMotocross, rally racing legend Travis Pastrana takes his shot to qualify for NASCAR's Daytona 500

The first race goes green at 7:21 tonight, with the second starting about 25 minutes after the first race's finish.

The rest of the weekend includes the Truck Series season opener Friday, an ARCA and Xfinity race Saturday, and the 65th running of the Great American Race on Sunday afternoon.

Also today is a pair of 50-minute practice sessions, one each for ARCA (4:05) and the Xfinity Series (5:05). Those two series qualify Friday and race Saturday at Daytona.

Aric Almirola wins second Duel as sparks fly

It was a side-by-side battle on the final lap, between Aric Almirola and Todd Gilliland, but Gilliland got bumped from behind and made an amazing save while Almirola ran off over the final couple miles to win Thursday's night's second Duel qualifying race.

The Tampa native, who watched many races from Daytona's grandstands as a youngster, was obviously happy and hopes it leads to more glory on Sunday.

"I did have my hands full," Almirola said of the second qualifier, which featured plenty of 2-by-2 action. "Man, this is so cool. Daytona is such a special place to me. I want that one on Sunday, though."

Austin Cindric finished second, about a tenth of a second behind, with Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Corey LaJoie rounding out the top five. Gilliland, after his great save, finished seventh.

Kyle Busch, others taken out in crash late in second Duel

Daniel Suarez spun Kyle Busch from the lead, collecting several cars including Open car Austin Hill.

Hill's inability to get back on the track eliminated him from contention and gave Conor Daly the last starting position in Sunday's Daytona 500.

Suarez bump drafted the right rear corner of Busch's bumper coming down the back stretch. The contact sent Busch head on into the wall. Also bowing out in the wreck was the No. 15 of Riley Herbst and the No. 67 of Travis Pastrana, who earned entry into Sunday's 500 via Wednesday qualifying time.

Kyle Busch seizes lead in second Duel

After a debris caution, Kyle Busch took lead and is holding the field at bay around the halfway mark of the second Bluegreen Vacations Duel race.

Daniel Suarez, Kyle Larson, Aric Almirola and reigning Daytona 500 champion Austin Cindric round out the top five.

Defending champion Joey Logano wins Duel 1; Zane Smith locks up Daytona 500 spot

Joey Logano picked up right where he left off — in Victory Lane.

Logano seized control after a round of pit stops and held off a last-lap charge from Bell on the outside, using a little help from teammate Ryan Blaney to hang on to the top spot.

Blaney led throughout the first half of the race until the lead pack hit pit lane with Logano coming out first. He ran out in front of Harvick and Blaney as the laps winded down. Bell poked ahead of the field on the last lap, using a run off of Harvick to slingshot around the outside, but a final push from Blaney was enough to get Logano across the line first.

Zane Smith, the reigning Craftsman Truck Series champion, secured a spot for the Daytona 500 with an eighth-place finish, knocking Chandler Smith (18th) out.

"It takes total team effort to win here on superspeedways," Logano said. "Daytona is where you want to win. It's special every time."

Blaney, Chris Buescher and Michael McDowell rounded out the top five. Alex Bowman, who secured the pole via Wednesday qualifying, dropped to the back early in the race and finished 17th.

First Duel at Daytona off and running; Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace up front

Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace lead a single-file train of cars near the halfway mark of the first 150-mile qualifying race.

Polesitter Alex Bowman immediately dropped to the rear of the field, either with issues or in an effort to avoid damaging his Chevrolet.

Frankie Muniz tops ARCA practice

Frankie Muniz is acting like a favorite for the ARCA pole.

The longtime actor and former start of "Malcolm in the Middle," approaching a full-time racing season at age 38, topped the scoring pylon in Thursday afternoon's ARCA Series practice.

He turned a lap averaging 182.212 mph in his No. 30 Ford, just a tick faster than Connor Mosack in a Toyota.

ARCA sets its field with Friday qualifying and opens its season Saturday afternoon before the NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

Rajah Caruth leads opening Craftsman Truck Series practice

Driving the Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet, Rajah Caruth registered the best time in the afternoon truck practice, coming home with a lap of 47.76. Christian Eckes (47.77), Jack Wood (47.92), Parker Kligerman (47.94) and Chase Purdy (47.96) rounded out the top five.

Among drivers attempting to qualify for both the Daytona 500 and Friday’s NextEra Energy 250, Corey Lajoie turned in the best lap, finishing ninth on the board with a time of 48.3. Other drivers of note included Travis Pastrana (12th, 48.44), Chase Elliott (13th, 48.46) and Hailie Deegan (48.52).

Daniel Dye, a DeLand native set to drive his first full-time season in the series in the No. 43 car, was the only driver to not turn in a lap.

Trackhouse, co-owned by Justin Marks and Pitbull, locks up Ross Chastain with new contract

A day after announcing a contract extension for Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing has sealed a multi-year deal for Suarez's teammate, Ross Chastain.

"We don't discuss terms of the contract, but his beard will be gray," team president Ty Norris said.

Team co-owner Justin Marks confirmed that Chastain will pilot the No. 1 car for "a number of years ahead."

"Ross has a lot of believers in this room and a lot of believers on our team, too," Marks said.

Duel ticket prices at Daytona

If you're considering a last-minute dash to Daytona for tonight's pair of 150-mile qualifying races, general admission tickets are $49, while reserved seating starts at $80.

Kids 12 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.

More info: DaytonaInternationalSpeedway.com.

Weather outlook: Perfection in Daytona Beach!

Another wonderful day — albeit warmer — is promised for race fans at Daytona International Speedway.

Temps will peak in the upper 70s during the afternoon before sliding to around the 70-degree mark by the start of tonight's first 150-mile Duel qualifier, with green flag scheduled for 7:21.

And not to jinx things, but so far we're looking good through Sunday's 65th running of the Daytona 500 — mid-80s Friday, mid-60s Saturday, mid-70s Sunday. Something for everybody! And practically no chance of showers.

Yes, so far.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR at Daytona: Joey Logano, Aric Almirola win; Frankie Muniz fast