Ford’s new “Dark Horse” Mustang brought an abrupt end to Hendrick Motorsports’ domination of Daytona 500 qualifying.
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 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.
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 and Dillon was third . 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.