Double Down Duels Split Between Marks, Day at Eldora
NXTbets Pro | Published On: July 16, 2026
Marks controls opener
Brent Marks opened the Double Down Duels at Eldora Speedway on Wednesday night with a clean run from the pole and never gave up the lead. The first of two 25-lap features paid $12,000 to win, and Marks turned the front row spot into a wire-to-wire victory. He stayed in command through the full distance and handled the pressure late when Tyler Courtney and Kyle Larson closed in on a restart at lap 24. Marks answered that challenge and crossed the line first in Race One, with Courtney and Larson behind him. Rico Abreu finished fourth and Sheldon Haudenschild took fifth. The result gave Marks the kind of control every driver wants in a short feature, and it came in a race that mattered well beyond one checkered flag. The Double Down Duels were part of the process that helped set the field for Thursday night’s $100,000-to-win Jokers Jackpot, so every lap carried extra weight. Marks made his race count from the start, kept the pace when the pressure rose and left Eldora with a victory that placed him firmly in the mix for the bigger prize ahead.
Day charges through
Corey Day took the second 25-lap feature at Eldora Speedway on Wednesday night and did it by making the decisive move at the right time. The second Double Down Duels race also paid $12,000 to win, and Day earned the checkered flag by getting around Giovanni Scelzi for the lead on lap 11. Once he cleared Scelzi, Day stayed in front and finished the job in Race Two. Scelzi settled for second, while Justin Peck, Parker Price-Miller and Carson Macedo completed the top five. The win gave Day the second half of the night after Marks had controlled the opener, and it kept the two-race format from tilting too far toward one driver. Day did not need to wait until the final laps to make his move, and that mattered in a compact feature where track position carried the most value. His pass on lap 11 put him in clean air for the rest of the run, and he used that advantage to secure the victory while Scelzi chased from second. The result also sharpened the stakes for the main event that followed.
Jokers Jackpot field
The Double Down Duels did more than split two feature wins between Marks and Day. They also set up Thursday night’s Jokers Jackpot and shaped the front of the field for the $100,000-to-win main event. Kyle Larson and Corey Day will share the front row based on points from qualifying, heats and the main events, which puts two fast drivers at the head of the lineup. Rico Abreu, Tyler Courtney and Brent Marks will start behind them, giving the top part of the grid a strong mix of race winners and proven challengers. The Duels left a few big names outside the top 12 as well. Donny Schatz, Brad Sweet, Brian Brown and David Gravel missed the cut for the main event. That left the qualifying night with a clear split between those who locked into prime positions and those who now face a tougher path. The two feature races gave the event its early shape, and the points from the full night sorted the field for the bigger payday ahead. Marks and Day each took one win, Larson landed on the front row and the rest of the lineup now carries the weight of Thursday night’s final prize.
