Gordon and Busch win qualifying races

Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch won their 150-mile qualifying races for the Daytona 500 on Thursday.

Martin Truex, Jr. and Mark Martin locked in their front row positions in qualifying last Sunday but the remainder of the 43-car field were required to run in Thursday's races to determine the starting grid for the 500 mile (800km) race at the 2.5 mile (4km) high-banked oval.

Four-times NASCAR champion Gordon, winless in his last 41 points races, took the lead from twice-champion Tony Stewart for good on lap 58 of the 60-lap event.

Jimmie Johnson, looking for an unprecedented fourth overall NASCAR title in a row, finished third.

In the second race, Busch's Toyota went high up the track to block Martin's determined last-lap charge. Brian Vickers finished third in another Toyota, behind Martin's Chevrolet.

Two former Formula One drivers, Juan Pablo Montoya and Scott Speed, will also race tomorrow.

The winner takes home around $1.5 million in prize money.