DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Joey Logano of Team Penske ended Hendrick Motorsports dominance of the front row for the Daytona 500 by winning the pole Wednesday night.
It was the 29th career NASCAR Cup Series pole for the 2015 Daytona 500 winner.
“This is all about the team,” Logano said. “I would like to take credit, but I can’t today. It was 100 percent the car. Not much the driver can do. This was a big win for Team Penske and for Ford.
“Finally, someone else wins the pole. I’ve never been close to a superspeedway pole before. It’s a huge deal for Team Penske.”
Logano’s No. 22 Shell Ford Mustang ran the fastest lap in the final round at 181.947 miles per hour. That knocked Michael McDowell’s No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford off the pole after the 2021 Daytona 500 winner had completed a fast speed of 181.686 miles per hour.
That makes it an all-Ford front row in Sunday’s 66th Daytona 500.
Chevrolets had won the previous 11 Daytona 500 poles. Hendrick Motorsports had won the previous nine and Hendrick drivers had claimed the top starting spot in eight of the last nine years.
There were four Ford drivers in the top 10 this time around. The rest were Chevrolet drivers including third-place Kyle Larson in the No. 5 Chevrolet at 181.635 mph. Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Ford was fourth at 181.207 mph with Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet rounding out the top five at 181.178 mph.
Chevy drivers William Byron, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, and Ross Chastain were positions 6-9 with Harrison Burton in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford rounding out the top 10.
Anthony Alfredo and David Ragan were locked into the Daytona 500 based on speed.
Alfredo races for Beard Motorsports, a small team out of Michigan and Ragan is driving a third entry for RFK Racing. Ragan was locked in when seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson’s speed was not fast enough to pass him on the timing list.
Alfredo’s No. 62 Death Wish Coffee Chevrolet ran a lap at 179.648 mph. Ragan’s No. 60 BuildSubmarines.com Ford ran a lap at 179.283 mph. Johnson’s lap in the No. 84 Carvana Toyota was 178.845 mph.