Byron earns pole position for Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — William Byron, at 21 years old, earned the pole position for next Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Driving the No. 24 car made famous by Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, Byron turned a lap at 194.304 mph to edge teammate and 2018 pole sitter Alex Bowman by fewer than two-tenths of a second. Bowman came in at 194.153 mph.
Byson and Bowman locked in the 1-2 positions on the front row for the Great American Race, set for 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 17. The rest of the positions will be determined during Thursday’s Cam-Am Duels.
“It’s been a great offseason. We’re prepared. We’re ready,” Byron said. “This is kind of the first step of our process together, so hopefully it goes well next Sunday. We can kind of chill out throughout the Duel races and learn a little bit.
“I’m looking forward to it. This is awesome.”
Byron’s strong showing on an overcast, misty Sunday at Daytona International Speedway secured the pole position for Hendricks Motorsports for a record fifth straight year.
“This is the deal, sitting up front at Daytona,” Hendricks said.
In fact, the top four finishers race for the iconic owner, whose drivers now have won nine poles, trying Petty Enterprises for the most during the sport’s most famous race.
“It just shows how well everyone is working together,” Bowman said.
Veteran Jimmie Johnson, a two-time winner of the 500, finished third, a spot ahead of 22-year-old Chase Elliott. Elliott won the pole in 2016 and 2017.
Coincidentally, Byron now works with Johnson’s longtime crew chief Chad Knaus. Johnson and Knaus split after a winless 2018 season. The duo won a record-tying seven Cup series titles together.
Byron’s run also resulted in the seventh straight Daytona 500 pole for a Chevrolet, dating to Danica Patrick’s historic qualifying run in 2013.
The key now is for Byron to capitalize on his position. It rarely happens.
The last pole sitter to win the race was Dale Jarrett in 2000. Just seven pole sitters have won the Daytona 500.
Bowman finished 17th last year from the No. 1 spot. Elliott finished 14th in 2017 and 37th in 2016. In 2015, Gordon finished 33rd as the race pole sitter.