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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jimmie Johnson started the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season as he ended 2009 -- as a winner. Johnson nipped Kevin Harvick by less than a foot at the finish line after 60 laps around the high banks of Daytona International Speedway on Thursday in the first of two Gatorade Duels. The official margin of victory was five one-thousandths of a second -- the second-closest Duel finish since the advent of electronic scoring of NASCAR races in 1993.
Harvick had the lead coming off turn four, but he lost this race ins the same fashion he won the 2007 Daytona 500. That time, he was on the inside of Mark Martin and edged past him. This time, Harvick was on the outside of Johnson, and suffered the same fate as he dished out to Martin.
Johnson won the race in his backup car after a crash in practice Wednesday damaged his primary car.
"I didnt feel like beating this thing up anymore," Johnson said. "It just showed we build good race cars at Hendrick Motorsports. It wasn't easy driving a car that loose. But I'm really stoked."
Just as happy as Johnson were Michael McDowell and Max Papis, who finished 14th and 15th in the race and made it into the Daytona 500 because of that.
Papis was almost overcome by emotion. "I just dig really hard I really wanted to make it," he said. "I'm speechless. It's a big day. We made it from our heart. I drove it hard as i could last five or six laps."
"I knew I could do it! I knew I could do it," McDowell shouted on the radio after the race while still on the track. "We're in the Daytona 500!"
The race was slowed by several incidents, including a minor three-car tangle that sent Terry Cook sliding through the front stretch infield.
With seven laps to go, Michael Waltrip suddenly slowed coming through the tri-oval and was struck from behind by Regan Smith, sending his No. 51 Toyota sliding into the inside wall. The incident left the two-time Daytona 500 winner's chances of making what he hopes will be his final Daytona 500 up to the finishing results of the second race.
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