Stenhouse, Jr. Speeds To Pole For The Upcoming Daytona 500

Daytona 500 front-row qualifiers Alex Bowman and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. pose with their crews and Chevrolets. [Joe Jennings Photo]

By Joe Jennings

DAYTONA BEACH – Driving for a new team – JYG Daugherty Racing – and a new manufacturer – Chevrolet, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. sped to the pole position for Sunday’s 62nd Daytona 500 with a speed of 194.582 miles per hour.

“I’m really proud to put our Kroger Chevy on the pole on ‘Kroger pole day’ for the Daytona 500,” Stenhouse said. “That was our goal coming down here. (Crew chief Brian) Pattie was working really hard all offseason for that goal and everybody chipped in, the whole shop. We cut bodies off. We put them back on. So this goes out to the whole shop and I’ve got to thank our other partners as well. I’m looking forward to hopefully continuing this momentum on Thursday.”

For the Mississippi native, he gained the prestigious pole for only the first time in 16 attempts on the high-banked oval and took the pole for the third time in 257 NASCAR Cup Series races.

The team also scored its first pole at Daytona and the third all-time in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The pole winner has won the Daytona 500 nine times with Dale Jarrett the most recent one to do so 20 years ago.

Alex Bowman qualified second fastest at 194.363 mph. The Chevrolet driver has started on the front row in three consecutive 500s.

Bowman teammates Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson were the next fastest followed by 2019 winner Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola, William Byron, rookie Christopher Bell and Eric Jones.

However, Stenhouse Jr. and Bowman are the only two locked into the starting field. With the next 38 positions determined in Thursday’s Duel races. Seven drivers will be vying for the final four spots. Two will be based on time and these will go to Justin Haley and Brendan Gaughan and the remaining pair will be based on top finishes in the Duels.

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