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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- See, NASCAR really does want to push the young drivers. It was all part of a marketing ploy that Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott won the Daytona 500 qualifying races Thursday night. Just kidding. Well, just kidding about how the Blaney and Elliott wins were part of a well-conceived marketing-competition partnership from the NASCAR office across the street. Their wins at Daytona International Speedway were the result of making the right moves at the right time, the fact that there were only 20 cars in each race and that drivers were much less daring Thursday as they will be when a Daytona 500 trophy is on the line Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, Fox). But give them credit. Blaney won while driving for a somewhat new team, as he moved from Penske affiliate Wood Brothers Racing to an in-house Team Penske program in the offseason. He put the Penske No. 12 in Victory Lane, potentially showing what could be done when he is part of Penske's primary stable. Elliott won his qualifying race a year ago, and nearly won the Daytona 500. But he ran out of gas in the final laps, one of many potential Cup victories that slipped away last season. The two Thursday winners get to start in the second row Sunday behind another youngster (24-year-old Alex Bowman) and veteran Denny Hamlin. Bowman, who won the pole in last week's time trials, didn't even bother racing hard in his duel, falling to the back to make sure he didn't damage his car. While it would be easy to dismiss their wins because, well, it's a qualifying race and not a main event, looking deeper into their victories shows that the wins came from building on their experiences. Blaney worked with teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski until it was time to make a move. "When I first started racing the Cup series in '15, I think we did all the speedways," Blaney said about a part-time schedule. "You're just kind of learning, kind of going with the lanes. You're like, 'OK, I'll go with Joey or Brad -- they know what they're doing.' You just learn. "I learned a lot from watching Brad. I think Joey and Brad are two of the best at this stuff. I learned a lot watching them, being teammates with them. I think you just kind of absorb all that knowledge over the years. You go from somebody who is just following and going with lanes to creating lanes, creating moves, wanting to be the lead car." Elliott knows all about how to race as the lead car ... until running out of gas and seeing the win slip away a year ago. That could stick in his craw, much like his first Daytona 500 in 2016 when he wrecked early in the race. But it doesn't appear Elliott is obsessed with making up for a lost opportunity. Elliott didn't seem all that upset Sunday when he didn't win the pole for the first time in his three Daytona 500s. He knew his Hendrick Motorsports team had set up the car more for the qualifying race Thursday rather than for top speed Sunday thanks to a new format this year that required the cars to be impounded after single-car time trials Sunday. He is ready for the race, and he isn't fretting over 2017. "Definitely last year was a bummer -- unfortunately the beginning of many bummers throughout the season," Elliott said. "I hope that's not the trend this year. I hope tonight's more the trend. Time will tell, I guess. "I definitely think about it some. But at the same token, I feel like we played our cards the best we could." Crew chief Alan Gustafson felt the same. Gustafson, a Daytona Beach native, wants to win this race so, so badly. He has come close with Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon as well as Elliott, but he isn't sitting in his motor home trying to figure out how he ran out of fuel last year. "It was obviously a disappointment last year running out of fuel ... but it was just the circumstances with the cards we were dealt," Gustafson said. "The way it worked out, we fell a little bit short." Blaney and Elliott didn't seem too excited over their wins Thursday, although Elliott savored the moment of having the No. 9 in Victory Lane. But they also know the dynamic changes Sunday. "It's the Daytona 500," said Kevin Harvick, who finished behind Blaney. "Everybody is here to win it. [We'll] back her into the fence going for the lead." So, young guys, be ready. But from all appearances Thursday, they will be.
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