Dale Jr. hints at Clash run if he wins 2017 pole

RELATED: Full race lineup | Race-day schedule TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn't scheduled to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2018, but hold that thought. The Hendrick Motorsports driver nearly won his first Coors Light Pole Award in four years Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, and said afterward that a No. 1 qualifying spot, which would make him eligible for next year's "The Clash" at Daytona International Speedway, might put him back behind the wheel. "I got a 'Get-in-the-Clash free' card from this year; I got a credit," the 42-year-old Earnhardt Jr. said after speeding to the No. 2 starting spot with his lap of 190.780 mph. "If I get a pole, I'll talk to (team owner) Rick (Hendrick) and see if I can't line something up." "The Clash," a non-points event, is contested at Daytona. Among the criteria for entry is winning a pole the previous season. "'The Clash' isn't really an official race," Earnhardt said. "It'd be fun to talk about it." MORE JUNIOR: Through the years | All-time wins Earnhardt announced earlier this season that he will no longer compete full time in the Monster Energy Series following the 2017 season. His No. 88 Chevrolet was the next-to-last car on the track during the final round of qualifying for Sunday's GEICO 500 (2 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and quickly sped to the top of the scoreboard. But Roush Fenway Racing driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., fastest in the opening round, knocked Earnhardt off the top spot and to second in the lineup with his lap of 191.547 mph. Earnhardt, the sport's 14-time Most Popular Driver, has 13 career poles but hasn't qualified No. 1 since the fall race at Dover in 2013. "Really impressive run by Stenhouse and his guys," he said. "We came close. We seem to come close at Daytona and Talladega quite a bit, second or whatever, but can't seem to get the pole. Hopefully we can get one before the season's out. That would be nice to get one my last year knowing that I don't really qualify all that well … especially since we went to this two, three rounds. I don't think I've gotten a pole since. So it would be nice to get one before the end of the season." The current qualifying format consists of multiple rounds with the field trimmed after each round. Sunday's front-row starting spot will be his first at Talladega, a track where he has six career victories -- making him the winningest active driver here.