Alex Bowman wins pole | Denny Hamlin to start second in Daytona 500

I just got done watching qualifying for the 60th Edition of the Daytona 500 and Junior Nation has a new standard bearer.

Alex Bowman, Sunoco Rookie of the year contender and the successor to Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, couldn’t have had a more auspicious start to the next phase of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career — namely, winning the pole position for next Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500.

In his first official competition as the full-time driver of the vaunted No. 88, Bowman sped around 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway in 46.002 seconds in the second and final round of Sunday’s single-car qualifying, a time that translated to an average speed of 195.644 mph.

Bowman knew from the outset he had a car capable of winning the pole. The pressure was squarely on his shoulders to fulfill the potential of his equipment.

Bowman was the 12th driver to take a lap in the first round of qualifying, and his speed of 194.885 mph stood up as fastest of the session. But that also meant Bowman had a long wait as the last to make a run in the final round.

Under a format in which the only the two front-row qualifiers are locked into their starting positions for the Great American Race, Bowman topped second-place Denny Hamlin, the 2016 Daytona 500 winner, who covered the distance in 46.132 seconds (195.092 mph).

Though he was one spot short of the pole, Hamlin was elated to secure a front-row starting spot for the first time in his career. Make that elated and surprised.

Jimmie Johnson was third fastest on Sunday at 194,734 mph, earning the second-place starting position in Thursday night’s first Can-Am Duel 150-mile qualifying race, one of the two events that sets the starting order for the Daytona 500.

Kyle Busch (194.704 mph) will start on the outside of the front row in the second Duel after qualifying fourth. Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender William Byron was fifth fastest in time trials, giving Hendrick Motorsports three of the top five cars in the competitive debut of the new Camaro ZL1 race car.

Last season’s Monster Energy Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year, Erik Jones was sixth, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Daniel Suarez. Kevin Harvick was eighth quickest in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, as four Chevrolets, four Toyotas and four Fords transferred to the second round of qualifying.

Notes: For her last start in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car, Danica Patrick was 28th fastest in qualifying in the No. 7 GoDaddy Chevrolet… The Daytona 500 pole was the fourth straight for team owner Rick Hendrick, tying him with Harry Ranier (1979-1982) for most consecutive poles for the Great American Race… Former Hendrick driver Kasey Kahne was 18th fastest in his competitive debut in the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet… Darrell “Bubba” Wallace qualified 25th in his first outing as the full-time driver of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet… In his debut in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, Aric Almirola was 13th fastest, failing to transfer to the final round by .005 seconds.

Read More at: Alex Bowman wins Daytona pole, Hamlin to start second | NASCAR.com
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Official lineups for Can-Am Duel qualifying races: Official lineups for Can-Am Duel qualifying races | NASCAR.com