Nascar – Jeff Gordon wins Daytona 500 pole

Qualifying for the Daytona 500 (Florida) allowed Jeff Gordon (Hendrick) to win the 78th pole of his career ahead of his teammate Jimmie Johnson. The four-time Sprint Cup champion posted a time of 44 seconds in the final qualifying heat, 711 thousandths ahead of the No. 35 Chevrolet.

The qualifying format for the Daytona 500 has evolved this year as the drivers have evolved at the same time on the track. The search for “draft” quickly spawned a “Big One” caused by a collision between Clint Bowyer (Michael Waltrip Racing) and Reed Sorenson (Xtreme).

The rest of the grid will be completed during the qualifying races, the Budweiser Duels, held next week.