With Hendrick Motorsports extending Alex Bowman‘s NASCAR Cup Series contract for three years, the 29-year-old rewarded the team by earning its eighth Daytona 500 pole in nine years.
Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet turned a lap of 49.536 seconds and 181.686 mph to secure his sixth consecutive front row start and third Daytona 500 pole.
The pole also gives Chevrolet its 11th-straight pole for the “Great American Race.”
Bowman will be joined on the front row by his teammate Kyle Larson. Larson, last year’s pole winner, will lead the field to green in Thursday’s second Duel race.
Rounding out the top five were William Byron, Aric Almirola, and Joey Logano, though positions third through 40th will be set by the Duels.
Six open cars vied for two spots to make the show, with the final two to be set in the Duels. In his return to Cup, seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson locked his spot in with Legacy Motor Club. 23XI Racing’s Travis Pastrana also booked his ticket to the race in his first Cup attempt.
Zane Smith, Austin Hill, Chandler Smith, and Conor Daly will have to race their way in through the Duels. Daly, who is appearing with The Money Team, did not make an attempt after suffering an oil line issue. Chandler Smith also experienced an issue with his car, but was able to complete a lap.
Daytona 500 Qualifying Results
The starting lineup will be set after the Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona International Speedway, with the first duel set to start at 7 p.m. ET on Feb. 16 on FOX Sports 1.
Entering his fifth year with Frontstretch, Luken Glover is the author of The Underdog House, shedding light on the motivation and performance of NASCAR's dark horse teams as they strive to fight to the top. Additionally, Glover reports for the site at various events, and he contributes in the video editing department.
A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a middle school math and PE teacher, as well as a basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.