DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Daytona domination in Daytona 500 pole qualifications continued for Hendrick Motorsports Wednesday night at Daytona International Speedway.
Alex Bowman won the Daytona 500 pole for the third time in his career, and extended Hendrick Motorsports streak of poles to 16 in the Daytona 500, the most of any team in the NASCAR Cup Series.
It’s also the sixth-straight Daytona 500 that Bowman has started on the front row.
Bowman’s won the pole with a fast lap of 181.686 miles per hour in the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet.
Bowman on track at Daytona. (HHP/Chris Owens)
“I’m just trying to make the right decisions and do well in Sunday’s Daytona 500,” Bowman said. “It’s really cool to see Hendrick Motorsports go 1-2-3 in qualifying.”
It’s an all-Hendrick front row as 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson was second at 181.067 mph in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. It’s the second-straight Daytona 500 front row start for Larson.
“Congrats to Alex, he’s got a lot longer legs than me so he can push the throttle,” Larson said. “It’s great to go into the Duels and know that you still get to race on the front row for Sunday’s Daytona 500.”
Those two drivers are locked into the front row for Sunday’s 65th Daytona 500.
The top three drivers in Wednesday’s final round of qualifications are all from Hendrick Motorsports. William Byron was third at 180.727 mph in the No. 24 Chevrolet.
Pastrana, Johnson Lock Themselves Into The 500
Travis Pastrana and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson both locked their way into the starting lineup for the Daytona 500 through speed. With 36 drivers already guaranteed starting positions because of NASCAR’s charter system, two drivers would advance into the 40-car starting lineup through speed and one driver from each of Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel races making the field for Sunday’s 65th Daytona 500.
Travis Pastrana locked himself into the Daytona 500. (HHP/Tim Parks)
“Every driver wants to do the best they can and every driver in the field believes they can win the race,” Pastrana said. “Having said that, I’m so happy to have the sponsors that put this deal together with 23/11 that gave me a car that could make the Daytona 500.
“Now, it’s time to start learning in the Duel.
“To be a part of the ‘Great American Race’ is something special. To see that pass that says ‘NASCAR Cup Series driver’ this is cool.
“To line up for the race on Sunday is a dream come true. When I announced I was coming here, the action sports community jumped on board.”
Johnson is a two-time Daytona 500 winner who left NASCAR as a full-time driver after the 2020 season. He spent the last two seasons driving the No. 48 Carvana/American Legion Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series.
Johnson is back as the driver of the No. 84 Carvana Chevrolet for the Legacy Motor Club. Johnson is also an ownership partner in the team.
His speed was the fastest of the non-charter drivers, and that locked him into the field for the biggest NASCAR race of the year.
“It is a huge relief,” Johnson said. “When I came down here for my rookie season in 2002, we were a new team and had to qualify our way in, so I reflected on that.
“This was a huge collaboration and effort by the entire shop. The 42 and 43 teams really played a crucial role in our car getting into the race tonight. There is a different feeling knowing something bad can happen and not get in a race.”
It was the first time Johnson had driven the current generation car that began NASCAR Cup Series competition in 2022.
“The experience was way different than I anticipated,” Johnson said. “This is the first time I have driven this type of car and it was much rougher than I anticipated and the RPM in fifth gear was way lower than I thought.
“This was way different than I expected. When I finished the lap, I thought there was something wrong with the engine and it wasn’t running correctly, but it was better than I thought.”
Bowman was the fastest driver in Wednesday night’s first round. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet ran a fast lap at 181.025 miles per hour around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.
Keyword: Bowman Secures Third Daytona 500 Pole