After crashes in Thursday night’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel races at Daytona International Speedway, the No. 12 team of Ryan Blaney and No. 32 team of Corey LaJoie have elected to use backup cars for Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
RELATED: Official Daytona 500 starting lineup
Blaney was involved in a Lap 30 crash due to contact with the No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota of Daniel Suarez after attempting to duck onto pit road during a round of green-flag pit stops.
The No. 12 car received significant damage to the front bumper and left door panel. The team came to the conclusion that it would be too much to repair, pivoting to the spare vehicle as a result.
Team Penske?@Team_Penske
The No. 12 team has confirmed they will indeed go to a backup car for Sunday’s #Daytona500.
The team has begun preparations to be ready for practice tomorrow afternoon.#NASCAR
Blaney, who qualified 27th, will drop to the rear of the field for the start of Sunday’s race.
LaJoie received front and right-side damage to his No. 32 Go Fas Racing Ford after a Lap 40 incident with JJ Yeley on the backstretch during the second Duel race.
LaJoie, who qualified 36th, will also drop to the rear for the start of Sunday’s race.
Go Fas Racing?@GoFasRacing32
