RacingNation.com
Home / RN News / Young Elliott Scores Second-Consecutive Daytona 500 Pole; Earnhardt Second Fastest

Young Elliott Scores Second-Consecutive Daytona 500 Pole; Earnhardt Second Fastest

Pole winner Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrate in Victory Lane after qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual DAYTONA 500. [Credit: NASCAR Via Getty Images]

Pole winner Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrate in Victory Lane after qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual DAYTONA 500. [Credit: NASCAR Via Getty Images]

By Joe Jennings

Daytona Beach, Fla. Young Chase Elliott scored his second-consecutive Daytona 500 pole position when he soared around the Daytona International Speedway at a rapid speed of 192.872 miles per hour.

He drove the NAPA Chevrolet SS. Elliott’s pole is the fifth consecutive for Chevrolet, and marks the fifth-time Hendrick Motorsports has swept the front row for the season-opening race. The pilot of the No. 24 Chevy becomes just the fifth driver to win back-to-back poles for the Daytona 500.

Chevrolet has amassed 24 Daytona 500 poles in the race’s 59-year history.

Crew chief Alan Gustafson prepared the pole-winning car for the third year in a row, to include a pole with Jeff Gordon in 2015.

Said the second-generation driver, “It is awesome. I am just really proud of everybody at our shop – the Hendrick Engine Shop; the Hendrick Chassis Shop; Hendrick Motorsports as a whole and the No. 24 team for sure. I appreciate all of their hard work. It is great to have NAPA on board this weekend. As I said on TV, the No. 24 team here in the past – with Jeff (Gordon) before and with us here and at Talladega has proved they are really good at qualifying at these tracks. They are always trying to find new things with the body, or with the engine and that is proof that they are keeping up with the competition and taking that next step too. Like I said, it is a testament to them, and I am really proud of what they have done. Excited to get started this season and hopefully we can have a good run next week.”

Teammate and comeback driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. timed second quick, just a tick of the clock slower at 192.864 mph. NASCAR’s most popular driver expressed his disappointment at not coming out on top but realized how pleased his car owner Rick Hendrick was with the duo’s achievement.

“We sure would have liked to have gotten a pole, happy my teammate Chase (Elliott) got the pole, congratulations to the No. 24 guys,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “They just certainly know how to get the job done at these plate tracks for sure. It will make Rick (Hendrick, team owner) happy to have all of the front row, an all Hendrick front row. We are a little disappointed. It would have been nice to get the pole, but it is good to be up front and starting up front for our qualifying race, that will be great.”

By tradition, only the front row is determined during pole qualifying at DIS with the make-up of the starting field for the upcoming Daytona 500 starting field to be determined through the results of the Can-Am Duel events on Thursday night.

36 (franchise owners) of the 42 entries have guaranteed starting positions with the remaining four spots up for grabs among six drivers. Two of them, Elliott Sadler and Brendan Gaughan, are in because they had the fastest times of the six and the final two qualifiers will get in by finishing highest in each Duel.

Ford drivers Brad Keselowski and Clint Bowyer qualified third and fourth fastest, and each will start in front row of their respective Duel.

The first Can-Am Duel race from the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway is slated to begin Thursday, February 23rd at 7 pm, ET on FoxSports 1, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Share Button