Joey Logano and Michael McDowell secured the top two positions in qualifying for the Daytona 500, giving Ford a front-row lockout. Logano, a previous winner of the Daytona 500, claimed the pole position with a lap of 181.947 mph (49.465 seconds). This will be Logano’s first time leading the field at the start of the race. McDowell qualified in second place with a speed of 181.686 mph (49.536 seconds). McDowell, who won the Daytona 500 in 2022, will also start on the front row for the event for the first time.
In the final qualifying round, Kyle Larson came in third with a speed of 181.635 mph, followed by Austin Cindric in fourth place (181.207 mph) and Chase Elliott in fifth place (181.178 mph). William Byron secured the sixth spot with a speed of 181.174 mph. Austin Dillon finished seventh (181.068 mph), with Kyle Busch in eighth place (180.995 mph). Ross Chastain took the ninth position (180.883 mph), and Harrison Burton rounded out the top ten with a speed of 180.328 mph.
Hendrick Motorsports’ qualifying dominance came to an end on Wednesday, as they had won eight of the last nine poles for the Daytona 500. Logano and McDowell’s positions in the race are now secured, while the remaining 40-car field will be determined after the two Bluegreen Vacations Duel races on Thursday night.
Anthony Alfredo and David Ragan have guaranteed spots in the Daytona 500, although their starting positions are yet to be determined. Alfredo and Ragan were the fastest non-chartered teams to qualify for the race based on their speed. Six drivers were competing for the two remaining spots based on speed, with Jimmie Johnson, BJ McLeod, JJ Yeley, and Kaz Grala vying for a place in the Thursday night duel races.
Alfredo achieved the second start of his career in the Daytona 500, driving for Beard Motorsports in the No. 62 Chevrolet. He recorded a speed of 179.648 mph (50.098 seconds), making him the fastest non-chartered driver. Beard Motorsports has qualified for the Daytona 500 in seven out of eight attempts, and Alfredo is the third driver to compete in the event for the team.
Ragan is driving the No. 60 Ford for RFK Racing, marking his 17th start in the Daytona 500. He expressed surprise at Alfredo’s impressive lap and acknowledged the competitiveness of the field. Ragan recognizes the need for further improvement to contend for a win but commends the effort of the RFK team thus far.
According to the Source racer.com