Team Penske’s Joey Logano was the last of the 10-car final round to qualify and bolted to the top of the speed chart with an average lap speed of 181.947 mph to win the pole for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Logano’s pole is the first for a Ford driver in the pole since the 2012 season (Carl Edwards) and first in the race for team owner Roger Penske. It’s Logano’s first 500 pole and 29th of his career.
“This is all about the team. Obviously, I’d like to take credit but I can’t today,” Logano said. “The guys have done such an amazing job working on these cars. The superspeedway qualifying is 100-percent the car – there’s only so much the driver can do.
“It’s a big win for our team, Team Penske, and Ford with the Dark Horse Mustang, being able to come down here and put it on the pin. Finally, someone else wins the pole. I’ve never even been close to a superspeedway pole before.
“It couldn’t come at a cooler event.”
Ford sweep
Joining Logano on the front row is fellow Ford driver Michael McDowell with an average lap speed of 181.686 mph. McDowell, who drives the No. 34 for Front Row Motorsports, won the 500 in 2021.
Kyle Larson ended up third fastest and the highest performing Hendrick driver. A team powered by a Hendrick engine has started on the pole for the 500 for nine consecutive years.
Austin Cindric was fourth and Chase Elliott rounded out the top five.
Completing the top 10 were William Byron, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain and Harrison Burton.
No Toyota driver advanced to the final round of qualifying.
Only Logano and McDowell’s starting positions are locked in for Sunday. The remaining lineup will be set by the results of Thursday night’s twin 150-mile qualifying races.
Round 1
Logano led the way in the first round with an average lap speed of 181.302 mph.
Larson was second fastest (180.977 mph) and Dillon was third (180.923 mph). Byron was fourth and Elliott fifth as Hendrick cars claimed three of the top five speeds.
Also advancing to the final round were McDowell, Cindric, Busch, Chastain and Burton.
Alex Bowman, who had started on the front row of the last six 500s, ended up 17th quick and failed to advance to the final round.
By posting the top two speeds among the six unchartered cars, Anthony Alfredo and David Ragan both locked themselves into the field for Sunday’s 500.
Alfredo is driving for Beard Motorsports which typically runs a partial schedule each season and Ragan is driving a third entry for RFK Racing, which plans to enter several races this year.
Kaz Grala, driving the No. 36 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, experienced an issue with his car and failed to post a speed.
Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, driving a third entry for Legacy Motor Club, ended up 35th and will have to race his way into the 500 in Thursday night’s qualifying races.
“I had higher expectations for sure, but we are lumped right there with the other Toyotas,” Johnson said. “The No. 43 (Erik Jones) car got a little more out of it, so I wish we had a bit more out of ours, but it is what it is.
“We will go out and race hard tomorrow night and try to make the 500.”
