DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Normalcy returned to Daytona International Speedway on Thursday.

Jimmie Johnson was on top of the Sprint Cup world once again.

Johnson, who's had a rough month in Florida, gained some much-needed momentum heading into Sunday's Daytona 500 by edging Kevin Harvick to win the first 150-mile Gatorade Duel.

The victory earns Johnson a spot in the second row for Sunday's race. He'll be joined by Kasey Kahne, who won the second 150-mile event at the superspeedway.

Two weeks ago, Johnson crashed practicing for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. On Wednesday, he was involved in a practice accident that forced him to a backup car for the Daytona 500.

But a late decision to not stop under caution gave Johnson valuable track position and he held off Harvick by .005 of a second, the second-closest margin since the Duels went to electrical scoring.

While it wasn't a point race, Thursday's win marked the first time Johnson has been to Victory Lane in a restrictor-plate race in the Car of Tomorrow.

"Things are coming together," Johnson said. "I hope they are concerned about us for the 500. I don't think [Thursday's] race or even Sunday's race does much to influence the season or what's to come. But everybody wants to win the Daytona 500 and we sent a message today."

Racing their way into Sunday's main event were Michael McDowell, Max Papis and Mike Bliss with their Duel finishes. It will be the first Daytona 500 starts for Papis and McDowell.

"It's difficult to explain in words what this meant for us," said Papis, who made his Daytona debut at the Rolex 24 in 1996. "For me, this being my first 500 is just a dream coming true."

Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip had to sweat out his spot in Sunday's race. He finished 25th in the first Duel after an accident, and needed help in the second race.

But Scott Speed, who was already in the race on time, took one of the four transfer spots with his 14th-place finish in the second Duel. That got Waltrip in the race on his qualifying time from last weekend.

Mark Martin led 28 laps in the first Duel, but fell off late and finished 21st. Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer and Regan Smith rounded out the top five.

Jeff Gordon got caught up in the Waltrip crash. Crew chief Steve Letarte said Gordon will drive a repaired No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet he wrecked in last weekend's Bud Shootout in Sunday's race.

The second Duel was nearly as close, with Kahne beating Tony Stewart to the finish line by .014 of a second.

Kahne's victory was significant because he's the first Richard Petty Motorsports driver to go to Victory Lane since the team switched to Ford from Dodge following the 2009 season.

"We still have a few things we can do to make our car better," Kahne said. "We'll have a shot to hang out up front Sunday and have a chance at the end."

The second Duel had just one caution, which came after a David Gilliland accident. Juan Pablo Montoya finished third, followed by Kurt Busch and Elliott Sadler.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. started first, but struggled after early contact. Earnhardt said his team took a conservative approach to save the car for Sunday and finished 21st.