Alex Bowman on pole position for the Daytona 500

A few minutes after announcing the extension for 3 years of his contract with Hendrick Motorsports, Alex Bowman set off on the Daytona speedway with a light mind and a heavy foot to pocket pole position.

The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet completed the 2,5 miles of the Daytona oval at an average of 181,686 mph (292,33 km/h) to get the better of his teammate Kyle Larson. It beats the best time signed by the latter in 1 for the first season of Next Gen by almost 2022km/h. 

“I'm so proud of Hendrick Motorsports, all the guys, Bowman said as he got out of the car. This Chevrolet Camaro is really super fast. I honestly don't have much credit for this qualifying result, I just have the chance to drive the fastest racing car! »

Kyle Larson can console himself for missing his second straight Daytona 500 pole with the guarantee of starting Sunday from second place. “Congratulations to Alex. He has much longer legs than me, so I think he can push the gas pedal harder, Larson joked after qualifying. I'm now really looking forward to the Duels and doing a few more laps to prepare for Sunday's race. »

Bowman and Larson will have the honor, and the security, of starting out on top Thursday night in their respective Bluegreen Vacations Duels. These qualifying races will set the starting order for Sunday's race.

100% Hendrick front row at the Daytona 500 © NASCAR

William Byron, set the third time, offering a nice hat-trick to the Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet. Hendrick drivers have won eight of the last nine Daytona 500 poles, and Chevrolet drivers have simply won the last 11.

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