Riley Herbst is the fastest trucker in Daytona.
With a speed of 181.657 miles per hour, the Las Vegas native nabbed the pole for the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series on Friday afternoon (Feb. 14). The pole is the first of Herbst’s career.
Brett Moffitt, who was one of the first drivers to post a qualifying time, fell just short of Herbst’s time. The GMS Racing driver will start second after clocking in a speed of 181.642 mph.
Herbst’s Kyle Busch Racing teammate Christian Eckes qualified third, while Ross Chastain and Johnny Sauter rounded out the top five starting positions.
Brennan Poole edged out Joe Nemechek for the last qualifying spot based on time. Nemechek, along with Norm Benning, John Hunter Nemechek, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Ray Ciccarelli, Clay Greenfield and Todd Peck failed to qualify for the field of 32 trucks.
Despite being entered, two drivers withdrew before qualifying. Josh Reaume pulled his entry after suffering mechanical gremlins in Thursday’s practice, while Tim Viens‘ truck failed to show up at the track after the Mike Affarano Motorsports hauler was involved in a highway accident en route to Flordia.
NextEra Energy Resources 250 Starting Lineup
The NextEra Energy Resources 250 is scheduled for later Friday night (Feb. 14), with the green flag scheduled to drop at 7:30 pm ET. TV coverage is provided by FOX Sports 1.
NASCAR RACE WEEKEND CENTRAL: DAYTONA
About the author
Never at a loss for words, Zach Gillispie is a young, talented marketing professional from North Carolina who talks and writes on the side about his first love: racing! Since joining Frontstretch in 2018, Zach has served in numerous roles where he currently pens the NASCAR 101 column, a weekly piece delving into the basic nuts and bolts of the sport. Additionally, his unabashedly bold takes meshed with that trademarked dry wit of his have made Zach a fan favorite on the weekly Friday Faceoff panel. In his free time, he can be found in the great outdoors, actively involved in his church, cheering on his beloved Atlanta Braves or ruthlessly pestering his colleagues with completely useless statistics about Delma Cowart.
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