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Earnhardt And Gordon Take Front Row For Daytona 500

Daytona Beach, Fla. – Hendrick Motorsports drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon were the two fastest qualifiers for next Sunday’s 53rd Daytona 500. Driving the AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, Earnhardt lapped the 2.5-mile oval at a speed of 186.089 miles per hour.

    Jeff Gordon (left) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. pose with their front row rides and crew. [Russ Lake Photo]


In 11 previous Daytona 500s, the NASCAR superstar has been on the front row twice, but this is his first pole at the famed track. For his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, Earnhardt has garnered 10 poles with the most recent one take place at the Atlanta Motor Speedway 11 months ago.

“It felt pretty slow. I mean 185 or 186 (mph) is not very fast overall,” the pole winner said. “The car felt great compared to yesterday as we had not been seeing that kind of speed in practice. I knew we had an opportunity to be a top-10 car and anytime you are in the top-10, you might be able to find that extra speed for the pole.”

Discussing the upcoming 500, he added, “Starting on the front row gives you a great opportunity to win the Daytona 500. Starting from the pole is also awesome for our team, and it gives you a good pit selection. At the end of the deal, I just want to be able to hold the trophy, and I want to be in victory lane in any race the rest of this week.”

Three-time Daytona 500 winner Gordon qualified the Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet at a speed of 185.966 mph. This will be his third front-row start in the 500, and he has won the pole once, 1999.

“It is always a great feeling to lock yourself in (the race),” he said. “It is also a sign of the effort this team put in, as they have built a great race car. Being on the front row with two cars is great for Hendrick Motorsports, and it is a great way to kick off the season for our new sponsor. I can’t be more thrilled with the way this week has gone.”

Dale Jarrett was the last driver win from the pole, doing so in 2000, and he’s also the last one to win from the second spot, doing it in 1993.

Rookie Trevor Bayne stormed to the third fastest time in the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford fielded by the Wood Brothers. His speed was 185.445 mph. “I was praying a lot before I went out there,” the teenager said while sporting an ear-to-ear grin. “It was incredible; I didn’t think I could hold my breath that long. Our team brought us an awesome race car. To be able to come here in the No. 21 car, I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”

Paul Menard, the newest member of the Richard Childress Racing team, zipped to the fourth fastest speed of 185.422 mph. He drives the Menards/Peak Chevrolet.

Teammates Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton qualified their Chevrolets fifth and sixth, respectively, with Ryan Newman and Mark Martin immediately behind them.

Rounding out the top-10 qualifiers were Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart.

Kurt Busch, 11th, had the fastest Dodge with Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson timing 15th.

Hard-luck driver of the day was Denny Hamlin, who had the steering wheel of his Toyota come off as he exited pit lane at the beginning of his qualification attempt. After plowing through the grass, he regained control and ended up with the 44th fastest time. “It wasn’t a lot of fun,” said Hamlin, who had a transmission issue on Saturday and lost the Budweiser Shootout after violating the yellow-line rules near the starting line. “It is frustrating but we will bounce back.”

Of the 13 drivers without a guaranteed starting slot, Bill Elliott, Travis Kvapil and Joe Nemechek and Michael Waltrip topped the qualification list. For Nemechek, he had the fastest speed of 16 Toyota drivers.

The track will be closed Monday and Tuesday and on-track action resumes Wednesday with practice for the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series.

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