EDDIE KALEGI - STAFF WRITER
The front row is set for the 67th running of the Daytona 500. A pair of newer faces will lead the field to green for Sunday’s Great American Race, after Chase Briscoe claimed the pole in his Joe Gibbs Racing debut, while 2022 race winner Austin Cindric will start alongside him in his Team Penske Ford. Meanwhile, former NASCAR Cup Series champions Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson clinched the first two of four “go or go home” spots on the grid, as the pair outqualified the other seven unchartered “open” entries.
With the 125-mile qualifier Duels to set the rest of the field less than 24 hours away, here are three takeaways from the most important single-car qualifying session of the season.
#1: Toyota is in good hands
It is no secret that superspeedway qualifying hasn’t been a strength for the Toyota camp in recent years, particularly in the Next Gen era. In fact, before Briscoe’s triumph, the manufacturer had never set the fastest time for NASCAR’s most prestigious race. That all changed in a huge way as Briscoe, replacing Truex Jr. in the #19 Bass Pro Shops entry, paced the field in the opening round, and maintained his top spot with an impressive lap to cap the session and claim the pole. Briscoe’s teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin also qualified in the top ten, while 23XI Racing and Legacy Motor Club also showed noticeable speed.
The result is especially interesting when you consider that Toyota actually appeared to focus on drafting during the lone pre-qualifying practice session, showing that the organization has struck a balance between being ready for race trim and cracking the previously impenetrable code of superspeedway qualifying. Led by Briscoe, the Toyota camp will be a fun watch this weekend.
#2: Ford hasn’t missed a beat
No, they didn’t have a front row sweep like both of last year’s Daytona races, when eventual champion Joey Logano and Michael McDowell graced the front row in February, before McDowell and Todd Gilliland set the two fastest times in the summer. And yes, Stewart-Haas Racing, the organization with arguably the most dominant performance at a drafting track in recent memory at Talladega during the 2018 playoffs, ceases to exist. But Ford is still Ford.
Austin Cindric is on the front row. Joey Logano is still a force. Front Row Motorsports set three fast times, as did RFK Racing, despite their steering issues in practice. While Toyota has clearly narrowed the gap from Ford’s utter dominance in superspeedway qualifying over the last couple years, it was still a stellar showing for the American manufacturer.
#3: The underdogs
Three drivers were among the top ten in Daytona 500 qualifying that likely nobody anticipated. Ryan Preece, making his debut for RFK Racing, looking to prove his worth in the Cup Series after lackluster tenures with Stewart-Haas Racing and previously with JTG Daugherty Racing (now HYAK Motorsports), made a statement, qualifying third, meaning he’ll start tomorrow’s first Duel from the pole. Josh Berry, now driving for Wood Brothers Racing, the most recent winners at the World Center of Racing, set the fifth fastest time. Finally, Ty Dillon, now a full-time Cup Series driver once again for Kaulig Racing, had the ninth best lap.
In a race where underdog stories have commanded the headlines in recent years, it will be interesting to see if any of this trio can make noise on Sunday.
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