William Byron is on the pole for the 61st edition of the Great American Race
Here’s the starting lineup for today’s (Feb. 17) Daytona 500. Forty-two drivers attempted the race, competing for 40 spots. Rookie William Byron won the pole with Alex Bowman on the outside of the front row. It was a 1-2 sweep for Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet but Ford pulled a counterattack in Thursday’s Qualifying Duels, pulling 1-2-3 finishes in both qualifying races to sweep the next six spots.
NASCAR starting lineup for the Daytona 500
1. William Byron
2. Alex Bowman
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Joey Logano
5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
6. Clint Bowyer
7. Paul Menard
8. Aric Almirola
9. Matt DiBenedetto
10. Denny Hamlin
11. Martin Truex Jr.
12. Kurt Busch
13. Bubba Wallace
14. Ryan Blaney
15. Chris Buescher
16. Jamie McMurray
17. Jimmie Johnson
18. Chase Elliott
19. Ryan Newman
20. Austin Dillon
21. Ryan Preece
22. Ty Dillon
23. Daniel Suarez
24. David Ragan
25. Parker Kligerman
26. Kyle Larson
27. Landon Cassill
28. Erik Jones
29. Daniel Hemric
30. Brendan Gaughan
31. Kyle Busch
32. Corey Lajoie
33. Matt Tifft
34. Michael McDowell
35. Brad Keselowski
36. Ross Chastain
37. Cody Ware
38. BJ McLeod
39. Tyler Reddick
40. Casey Mears
Failed To Qualify
#71 – Ryan Truex: Truex was running his first race for the reestablished Tommy Baldwin Racing. TBR plans about 5-7 races this season with Truex behind the wheel but he was unable to fend off the Toyota teamwork of Parker Kligerman and Kyle Busch in the first qualifying Duel. Busch, despite a wounded car after a wreck, was able to work with Kligerman and push him past Tyler Reddick to earn a spot in the Daytona 500. That knocked Truex out of the race while Reddick was still able to qualify on speed.
#66 – Joey Gase: Gase was off the pace all Daytona Speedweeks and failed to make the field in his first race running for Carl Long and his Motorsports Business Management (MBM) Cup operation. He’ll continue to run a limited schedule with MBM in Cup while running the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time.
QUALIFYING NOTES
- Byron won the pole at age 21, the first of his Cup career. The reigning Cup Series Rookie Of The Year is seeking his first career Cup victory.
- Bowman is on the front row at the Daytona 500 for the second straight year. He ran 17th in last year’s race after winning the pole.
- Casey Mears will be running in his first Daytona 500 since the 2016 edition of the race. He’ll be running a second car for his former full-time team, Germain Racing, in a partnership with Premium Motorsports.
- Jamie McMurray starts 16th in what’s widely expected to be the final Cup start of his career. The 2010 Daytona 500 winner signed a one-race deal to run with newly-formed Spire Motorsports after being released by Chip Ganassi Racing at the end of 2018. This special tribute car with sponsorship from longtime backer McDonald’s is being run to honor a career that spanned nearly two decades, 582 Cup starts, and includes seven career wins.
NASCAR RACE BREAKDOWN
Race: Daytona 500
Track: Daytona International Speedway
Date: Sunday, February 17
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: FOX, 1 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 500 miles (200 laps)
Stage 1: 60 Laps
Stage 2: 60 Laps
Final Stage: 80 Laps
POST-RACE ANALYSIS
Here’s a closer look at how the Duels shook out and Sunday’s Daytona 500 is shaping up.
