Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 15, 2016) – From the speedway tailgates to the wave of the checkered flag, NASCAR fans will be able to share their race-day experiences with Snapchat users across the world as part of a new Live Story partnership, announced today by NASCAR and Snapchat.

Through this partnership agreement, Snapchat will double its coverage of the sport’s premier race events in 2016, launching its first NASCAR Live Story at the 2016 Daytona 500 on February 21 (1 p.m. ET on FOX).

“Snapchat’s Live Story coverage of NASCAR events will make its users near and far feel like they’re at the racetrack,” said Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president, marketing and industry services. “With Snapchat, NASCAR fans can share their stories from our iconic race events with a massive, global audience, which elevates the social experience for our fans.”

Beginning at Daytona International Speedway, Snapchat will cover multiple NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races throughout the year, giving millions of NASCAR fans the opportunity to experience the excitement – from behind-the-scenes in the garage to the fans’ perspectives in the grandstands.

Snapchatters will contribute their unique, race-day perspectives through video and photo Snaps submitted to one collective Live Story, capturing the real NASCAR story, straight from the fans.

The thousands of submitted Snaps from each event will be curated and packaged by Snapchat into a video stream that is shared globally with Snapchat’s more than 100 million daily active users right on their mobile devices. Each NASCAR Live Story will be available to view on Snapchat for 24 hours.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with NASCAR to bring Snapchatters closer to the race experience and behind-the-scenes of some of NASCAR’s biggest events this year,” said Ben Schwerin, Director of Partnerships at Snapchat.

NASCAR launched its presence on Snapchat before the 2015 season and experienced rapid growth on the platform as the sport targeted younger and more diverse audiences. Snapchat is available on iOS and Android.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 15, 2016) – Inspired by fans’ shared love of racing, NASCAR® today unveiled a new, integrated marketing campaign celebrating the launch of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ season. Ready. Set. Race will engage NASCAR fans online, at home and on the go through a blend of digital and social media activation, and original television creative.

 

Fans will be invited to put their racing skills to the test during the 2016 Daytona 500® on February 21, when NASCAR hosts the first-ever Hashtag 500 on Twitter. The unique promotion, developed by Ogilvy & Mather New York, will give fans a chance to win memorabilia from this year’s “Great American Race®,” including a driver firesuit, helmet, steering wheel and set of Goodyear tires, among other race-used items.

 

“Ready. Set. Race was built around the simple human truth that all people love to race in some form – in the backyard, on their bikes or on the racetrack,” said Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president, marketing and industry services. “This campaign is unlike anything we’ve ever done, inspiring fans who love to race, and creating experiences for them to race other fans on social media.”

 

To race in the Hashtag 500 on Feb. 21, fans must watch Daytona 500 race coverage on FOX (beginning at 12 p.m. ET) and follow @NASCAR on Twitter to receive a custom hashtag for each of 10 pieces of memorabilia. Once each hashtag is unveiled, the 500th person to tweet the hashtag in conjunction with #DAYTONA500 will win that race and receive the prize.

 

Beginning today through Saturday, fans can practice for the Hashtag 500 by competing in daily Twitter races for a chance to win unique, personal items from six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. Short digital videos featuring the drivers will unveil each day’s custom hashtag and be shared via @NASCAR and NASCAR.com/hashtag500.

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will host today’s first practice race. The 500th person to tweet the hashtag and #DAYTONA500 will win a pair of sunglasses from the two-time Daytona 500 champion.

 

A promotional teaser for the Hashtag 500 aired on FOX this past weekend, beginning during Saturday’s season-opening Sprint Unlimited. Additional new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series creative promoting Ready. Set. Race will debut on Sunday during the Daytona 500 on FOX.

 

The creative will drive home the narrative that, first and foremost, it’s a universal love of racing that connects and inspires NASCAR fans, and drives their passion for the sport.  

 

“We believe that everyone is born with a love of racing and with this campaign, we are hoping to remind them of it,” said Teddy Lynn, Chief Creative Officer of Content and Social, Ogilvy & Mather North America. “Our goal with the creative was to bring that racing mentality to life.”

Fans can follow @NASCAR on Twitter and Facebook, and visit NASCAR.com for an early look at the Ready. Set. Race creative later this week.

 

For more information on the Hashtag 500, fans can visit NASCAR.com/hashtag500.

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Fast facts about Charter system | Learn more about NASCAR’s 2016 procedural changes

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ryan Blaney and Matt DiBenedetto won’t have to worry about where they finish in Thursday’s Can-Am Duels, guaranteeing themselves starting spots for the Daytona 500 (Sunday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. ET, FOX) with solid qualifying laps here Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.

 

Because 36 teams were already locked in by virtue of owning Charters, Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing) and DiBenedetto (BK Racing) were among the eight drivers vying for the four Open positions available in the 40-car field.

 

Blaney, fast all week in the No. 21 Ford, finished with the day’s seventh-fastest speed (194.746 mph) in qualifying. He was the only Open driver to advance to the final round which saw the 12 fastest from the opening round vie for the pole position.

 

RELATED: Daytona qualifying speeds

 

For DiBenedetto, it was the most nerve-wracking of experiences.

 

“Man, I can sleep well this week finally,” the 24-year-old said after locking in his No. 93 Toyota. “I’ve done a lot of things in my career, (but) I was more nervous for that than probably my first Sprint Cup race last year.

 

“I was really nervous all night, between me and Michael McDowell really is where it seemed like it was going to fall. We were really close in our practice speeds. We kept kind of bouncing back as to who was quicker.”

 

As it turned out, DiBenedetto (192.686 mph) narrowly edged McDowell (192.604), who is in a second Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet for this week.

 

McDowell, Robert Richardson Jr., Cole Whitt, David Gilliland, Josh Wise and Reed Sorenson can race their way into next Sunday’s race by finishing highest among the Open teams in Thursday’s Duel qualifiers. If either Blaney and/or DiBenedetto finish highest in their respective qualifiers, the final two positions would be based on Sunday’s qualifying speeds, meaning McDowell (27th) and Richardson (38th) would be awarded the final two spots.

 

“This is just a testament to my team,” DiBenedetto, who will be making his Daytona 500 debut, said. “They stayed here until 9:30 last night. The latest they could stay here, we’ve been here. I’m really thankful to those guys, thankful just to be here this season and most importantly, thankful to be racing in my first Daytona 500. This was a team effort; I’m just glad to get them in the Daytona 500. This is more about them, not me.”

 

DiBenedetto finished the day 26th-fastest. His BK Racing team used an engine from Toyota Racing Development for qualifying, but will switch to a Triad-built engine for Thursday’s Duel.

 

Qualifying for the season-opening Daytona 500 differs from how the starting lineup is determined for the remaining NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. Only the two fastest from Sunday’s qualifying lock in positions for next week’s 58th running of the race. Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports) and Matt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing) were first and second, respectively, to earn those positions.

 

Starting positions 3-38 will be determined by Thursday’s Can-Am Duel qualifying races, with four spots awarded to Open teams. Those four will consist of the two fastest in qualifying (in this instance, Blaney and DiBenedetto) along with two that either finish highest in their Duel (should they finish ahead of Blaney or DiBenedetto) or based on their qualifying speeds if they do not.

 

Blaney is making the move to full-time status with Wood Brothers Racing this season. Although the legendary team was not one of the 36 awarded Charters earlier this week, meaning Blaney will have to make the race each week based on his qualifying results, officials noted speed wasn’t a problem in ’15.

 

And, as Blaney said, it wasn’t an issue on Sunday either.

 

“We knew we had a really fast race car yesterday from single-car runs,” he said. “I knew we had a good shot to get locked in. But you never know what can happen. It’s such a big relief to be locked in early. Now we can go racing on Thursday night (in the Duel).”

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Full Daytona qualifying speeds

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It wasn’t a Daytona 500 pole-winning effort Sunday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway, but Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas were four of the top-10 fastest qualifiers for next Sunday’s Daytona 500.

 

And that’s an important first step.

 

Twenty-year old rookie Chase Elliott became the “Great American Race’s” youngest ever pole-winner driving newly retired Jeff Gordon‘s No. 24 Chevrolet, but a team of Toyotas turned in efforts to ensure they must be reckoned with come the Feb. 21 season-opening Daytona 500.

 

Toyota driver Denny Hamlin joked even late Saturday night after winning his third Sprint Unlimited non-points race that the trophy and acclaim were great for his resume, but the Daytona 500 was what mattered most. To him and to the team.

 

“I was joking with Denny in the winner’s circle, I said, it’s the 500, OK, not the Unlimited,” Hamlin’s team owner Joe Gibbs said, laughing but clearly quite serious, too. “I says (to him), try and get us a 500, will you? It’s been 23 years since we were able to win one.”

 

As soon as Hamlin sat down to take post-race questions from the media, the first thing he asked the crowd was, “By the way, has Joe mentioned he wants to win the 500 yet?”

 

Unlike past years when one manufacturer tended to dominate the top-10 qualifying spots, this year’s pole-qualifying featured a more balanced look — five Chevrolets (including pole-winner Elliott), four Toyotas and three Fords among the top-12 final round qualifying participants.

 

Hendrick Motorsports had three of its four Chevrolets among the top six.

 

But it is the first time the two-time Daytona 500 winner Kenseth has started on the front row for the event. Michael Waltrip was the last Toyota driver to earn a front row start — lining up second alongside Jimmie Johnson in 2008.

 

“Obviously everybody says it but qualifying here is truly a team effort,” Kenseth said. “We’ve never qualified on the front row here before so that certainly takes some of the pressure off earlier in the week.”

 

Kenseth’s JGR teammate Carl Edwards echoed the promise and potential coming out of Sunday’s qualifying efforts. He sounded encouraged by the speed and hopeful of how it may translate in Thursday’s Can Am Duel races that will set the remainder of the field behind the front row.

 

“We’re just building good cars and that showed up on the track last night,” Edwards said of the Unlimited showing. “Those days you have Toyotas up front and Denny was able to close the deal. He was the first to say we worked well together and it was overall good.”

 

Then Edwards smiled and acknowledged, “He brought that up to me too,” of Gibbs’ vocal urgency to win the Daytona 500. “He’s a competitor deep down and he wants to win this thing.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full qualifying results | Can-Am Duel lineups


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR cracked down on two teams in Sunday’s Daytona 500 post-qualifying inspection, disallowing qualifying speeds for two Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolets. In addition, Furniture Row Racing‘s lone Toyota missed its qualifying run.

The Stewart-Haas No. 4 Chevrolet driven by former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick and the SHR No. 14 Chevy — currently wheeled by Brian Vickers in place of the injured Tony Stewart — were found with track bars out of compliance with NASCAR specifications. Harvick had posted the 14th-fastest lap and Vickers the 21st-fastest before their qualifying times were disallowed.

Rodney Childers, crew chief for SHR’s No. 4, said on Twitter after the qualifying session that the violation “was a simple mistake on our part.” He explained that the team had measured the track bar from a different spot than NASCAR officials, resulting in a quarter-inch discrepancy.

The Furniture Row No. 78 Toyota Camry piloted by Martin Truex Jr. was halted before making a qualifying attempt because of an issue with the right-side roof flap being out of compliance. NASCAR officials said in a statement that since the team could not fix the issue in the five-minute warning time, the No. 78 team forfeited its qualifying attempt.


MORE: Roof issue keeps No. 78 parked


NASCAR officials said that the issues with all three cars would be discussed further in Tuesday competition meetings.

All three teams are guaranteed starting berths in the Feb. 21 Daytona 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM) through the NASCAR Charter system. All three will be sent to the rear of the field for Thursday’s Can-Am Duel qualifying races (7 p.m. ET, FS1) that will determine the 40-car starting order for the Great American Race.

Posted on by Staff Report

Chase Elliott made quite the debut in the legendary No. 24 Chevrolet on Sunday, wheeling the fastest lap in the field to earn the Daytona 500 pole award. The accomplishment makes Elliott, 20, the youngest driver to ever win the Daytona 500 pole.

Drivers and NASCAR personnel took to Twitter to offer their congratulations to the budding star.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full Daytona qualifying speeds | Pit stall assignments for Duels


Chase Elliott and Matt Kenseth clinched the front row for next Sunday’s Daytona 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX), and they’ll also lead their respective Can-Am Duel races to the green on Thursday. Duel 1 is slated for 7 p.m. ET (FS1), with Duel 2 scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (FS1).



The rest of the Can-Am Duel field was set by Sunday’s qualifying speeds. Thursday’s results will set the field for the Daytona 500 .


Below are the lineups.



UPDATE: Biffle, Bayne headed to rear of Can-Am Duels 

MORE: Larson, more may go to back-up cars



* Denotes Open, non-Charter teams

Can-Am Duel 1 lineup

Position Car Driver Team
1. 24 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports
2. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports
3. 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing
4. 21* Ryan Blaney* Wood Brothers Racing
5. 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing
6. 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
7. 22 Joey Logano Team Penske
8. 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports
9. 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing
10. 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske
11. 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing
12. 44 Brian Scott Richard Petty Motorsports
13. 59* Michael McDowell* Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing
14. 7 Regan Smith Tommy Baldwin Racing
15. 34 Chris Buescher Front Row Motorsports
16. 32 Bobby Labonte Go Green Racing
17. 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing
18. 15 Clint Bowyer HScott Motorsports
19. 98* Cole Whitt* Premium Motorsports
20. 23 David Ragan BK Racing
21. 30* Josh Wise* The Motorsports Group
22. 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing

Can-Am Duel 2 lineup

Position Car Driver Team
1. 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing
2. 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing
3. 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
4. 19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing
5. 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing
6. 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing
7. 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing
8. 95 Ty Dillon Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing
9. 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports
10. 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing
11. 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing
12. 93* Matt DiBenedetto* BK Racing
13. 83 Michael Waltrip BK Racing
14. 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing
15. 47 AJ Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing
16. 46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports
17. 38 Landon Cassill Front Row Motorsports
18. 26* Robert Richardson Jr.* BK Racing
19. 35* David Gilliland* Front Row Motorsports
20. 40* Reed Sorenson* Hillman Smith Motorsports
21. 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing
22. 14 Brian Vickers Stewart-Haas Racing
Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: NBC Sports Live Extra


All times ET

Monday, Feb. 15
3 a.m., NASCAR Daytona 500 Pole Day (re-air), FS2
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Daytona 500 Pole Day (re-air), FS1
4:30 p.m., NASCAR The List: Best Daytona Moments (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1993 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2

Tuesday, Feb. 16
3:30 a.m., Beyond the Wheel (re-air), FS1
5 a.m., Untold Stories: Daytona (re-air), FS1
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
9 a.m., Daytona 500 Media Day, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5 p.m., Daytona Rising: NASCAR America Special, NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
2 a.m. NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2

Wednesday, Feb. 17
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2

Thursday, Feb. 18
7 a.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
Noon, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Can-Am Duels at Daytona, FS1
10:30 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race (taped), NBCSN
11:30 p.m., NASCAR The List: Best Daytona Moments (re-air), NBCSN

Friday, Feb. 19
3 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Can-Am Duels at Daytona (re-air), FS1
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1993 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
7:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Can-Am Duels at Daytona (re-air), FS1
10:30 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1
Noon, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FS1
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Setup, FS1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Nextera Energy Resources 250, FS1
10 p.m., Untold Stories: Daytona (re-air), FS1
1 a.m., Beyond the Wheel (re-air), FS1

Saturday, Feb. 20
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1993 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Nextera Energy Resources (re-air), FS1
10 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub FS1
Noon, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
2 p.m., 18 Rising, NBC
3 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: XFINITY, FS1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Powershares QQQ 300, FS1

Sunday, Feb. 21
3:30 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Powershares QQQ 300 (re-air), FS1
10:30 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
Noon, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FOX Pre-Race Show, FOX
1 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500, FOX
1 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1

 

Posted on by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Martin Truex Jr.’s bid for a Daytona 500 pole position never left the starting blocks Sunday afternoon, grounded by a technical issue with a roof flap on his Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota.



Truex was scheduled as the 28th of 44 drivers to make a qualifying run for next Sunday’s “Great American Race,” but NASCAR officials delayed the team’s attempt after discovering a problem with the right-side hinged flap. The No. 78 Camry was placed on five-minute notice, but the time elapsed without Truex turning a single lap.



“There was something they didn’t like that they missed in there apparently,” Truex said after leaving the cockpit, unaware of the reason for the qualifying-day hitch. “Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”


Having pictures taken of your car on Daytona 500 qualifying day is typically a positive, but not when the photographer is NASCAR Sprint Cup Series director Richard Buck. As other competition officials raised the roof flap for closer inspection, Buck took photos with his cell phone as the No. 78 sat under the inspection tent where cars are checked for template compliance.



Second-year Furniture Row crew chief Cole Pearn shrugged at the extra scrutiny, offering a sheepish smile after a discussion with competition officials. The Canada native said the No. 78 entry had cleared Sunday morning inspection with no issues, but that officials found trouble with the way the roof flap came to rest when not deployed. He was also unsure why the team was directed to address the problem off the pit road qualifying grid and at the template tent.



“I guess it’s an issue with the right-side roof flap not going down as far as it needs to,” Pearn said. “I’m not really sure how it ended up that way or what changed down pit road, but whatever. Either way, we ran it back here for whatever reason, but we’ll see what they do and hopefully have a good rest of Speedweeks.”



NASCAR competition officials released a statement that read, “Prior to making a qualifying attempt for the Daytona 500, NASCAR officials on pit road determined that a roof flap on the No. 78 was not in compliance with prescribed specifications. The team was unable to correct the violation within the allotted five minutes per the NASCAR Rule Book, and forfeited their opportunity to make a qualifying attempt. The No. 78 will start at the rear of the field in their qualifying race.”


The Nos. 4 and 14 Stewart-Haas Racing cars had post-qualifying inspection issues and also were moved to the rear of the field for the Can-Am Duels.



The issue placed Truex last on the qualifying chart with no speed posted, meaning he’ll start at the rear of the field in one of Thursday’s Can-Am Duel qualifying races that will set the Daytona 500 lineup. Truex is guaranteed a place in the field, but may have to start further back than the team had hoped.



“We’ll roll on and see what they decide to do,” Pearn said, hinting at possible sanctions from NASCAR’s competition arm. “Too bad. I thought we had a really good car and good speed in it, so it would’ve been nice to see what we could’ve run at least.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Full qualifying speeds | From tardy note to Daytona pole winner

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Chase Elliott‘s rookie campaign just got a jump-start.


Faced with the daunting prospect of succeeding Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, the 20-year-old Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate drove the same chassis to the same result Gordon accomplished last year—the pole position for the Feb. 21 Daytona 500 (on FOX at 1 p.m. ET).


In the money round of qualifying for the Great American Race, Elliott toured 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway in 45.845 seconds (196.314 mph), edging Matt Kenseth (196.036 mph) by .065 seconds for the top starting spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series opener.


Elliott and Kenseth are the only drivers whose positions for the Daytona 500 are now locked in. The balance of the field will be filled and ordered in Thursday night’s 150-mile Can-Am Duel qualifying races.


“I’ve never qualified on the front row here before, so that certainly takes off some pressure for later in the week,” Kenseth said.


“This is a very, very cool day,” Elliott said after Earnhardt, the last qualifier, failed to knock him off the pole. “I don’t know that this opportunity has sunk in yet, much less sitting on the pole for the Daytona 500.


“So this is very cool. I think the big thing is just the team and the Daytona 500 qualifying is about the team guys and the effort they put into these cars and it’s nothing special I did. It’s really what kind of work they did this offseason to make it happen. 


“Jeff (Gordon) knows all about that and I just wanted to give a big thanks to NAPA Auto Parts and all of our partners at HMS on this No. 24 car. This is very special and a great way to start the season.”


Elliott’s first Sprint Cup pole was a milestone in many other respects. At 20 years, 2 months and 17 days, he is the youngest-ever winner of a Daytona 500 pole, supplanting Austin Dillon (23 years, 9 months 27 days in 2014).


Should Elliott win the race next Sunday, he would displace Trevor Bayne as the youngest winner of the event often referred to as NASCAR’s Super Bowl.


This was the 10th Daytona 500 pole for Hendrick Motorsports and the third for the No. 24 Chevrolet, with Gordon winning the previous two in 1999 and 2015. Elliott completed the fourth father/son combination to win poles for the 500, joining Richard and Kyle Petty, Bobby and Davey Allison and Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr.


In fact, Earnhardt Jr. was fastest in the first round of Sunday’s qualifying session, posting a lap at 195.788 mph, but he slipped to third in the final round and will start on the outside of the front row in the first Can-Am Duel.

Kyle Busch posted the fourth fastest lap in the final round and will start from the second spot in the second Duel. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jimmie Johnson were fifth and sixth, respectively, in the final round.

The qualifying times of the Nos. 4 and 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolets, driven by Kevin Harvick and Brian Vickers, were disallowed after NASCAR discovered track bar infractions during post-qualifying inspection. Those cars will start from the rear in their respective Duels.

RELATED: Nos. 4, 14 fail post-Daytona qualifying inspection

Ryan Blaney powered the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford to a seventh in Sunday’s time trials. As the fastest “open” car (required to qualify on speed), he is locked into the Daytona 500. Matt DiBenedetto, the second fastest of the open cars (and 24th overall) also is locked into the field.

Related: Blaney, DiBenedetto lock up Daytona spots

The No. 78 Furniture Row Toyota of Martin Truex Jr. failed to post a time after NASCAR inspectors noticed that one of the roof flaps was out of compliance. The car was on the five-minute clock at the time and the problem could not be corrected in time to make a qualifying run. As a consequence, Truex will start from the rear of the field in the second Can-Am Duel.

RELATED: Roof flap keeps Truex parked in qualifying