NASCAR Cup Series

David Ragan overcomes wreck to race into Daytona 500

Published Feb. 19, 2015 11:30 p.m. ET

foxsports

After finishing his Budweiser Duel, David Ragan climbed from his car, stood on the door on the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford and raised his hands in the air like he had just won the race.

Finishing 14th in the 24-car field, Ragan secured his spot in Sunday's Daytona 500, but it certainly was not easy.

Early in the race, Ragan bobbled and made contact with the right front of Justin Allgaier's No. 52 Chevrolet. The contact sent Ragan's No. 34 Ford sliding down the track off Turn 4, spinning backwards and catching the end of the wall with the rear of the car.

With damage to the rear of the car, the Front Row Motorsports team made repairs to his car, but Ragan fell a lap down to the leaders.

When an incident involving Jeb Burton, Sam Hornish Jr., Alex Bowman and Austin Dillon brought out the caution, Ragan was able to get his lap back, but still faced an uphill challenge to make the race with a damaged car.

However, when the race went into a green-white-checkered finish, Ragan was able to work thought the pack and into the Daytona 500.

"It felt like a win," said Ragan. "This is a great feeling just to get to the Daytona 500 because I know we can work on our car and have a good strategy and run well in the 500. We could have a chance to win."

Ragan was not the only driver to race into the Daytona 500 in the second of Thursday's Budweiser Duel.

Rookie Ryan Blaney will make his first start in the Daytona 500 in the famed Wood Brothers No. 21 car after finishing sixth Thursday evening.

After Sunday's wreck in group qualifying, Reed Sorenson's chances at making the Daytona 500 were slim. His Team Xtreme Racing crew put together a backup car and on Thursday night Sorenson piloted it to a seventh-place finish to make the Daytona 500.

Mike Wallace struggled for speed in Sunday's group qualifying session, posting the 48th fastest lap of 49 cars. Yet when it came to Thursday night's Budweiser Duel, Wallace put his plate racing skills to the test and finished the night in the eighth spot.

Despite the contact with Ragan early in the race, Justin Allgaier also raced his way into the Daytona 500 with a ninth place finish.

Perhaps the most dramatic of those to race their way into the race was Stewart-Haas Racing's Danica Patrick. Solidly in the race as the Duel neared the finish, a wreck with three laps to go damaged her No. 10 Chevrolet and put her on the outside looking in. With help from teammate Kurt Busch, Patrick charged to a 101th place finish in dramatic fashion.

In the end, Ron Hornaday Jr., Justin Marks, Brian Scott, Josh Wise, Alex Bowman, Josh Wise and Jeb Burton failed to make the Daytona 500 and will go home early.