By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Chase Elliott has won the pole for the Daytona 500. He’s become the sixth Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender to win the pole for the biggest race of the year.
Elliott had to wait until Dale Earnhardt Jr., had the last shot to take the rookie out of the pole. The 20-year-old is the youngest pole setter in Daytona 500 history.
“It’s such a special day, a great way to start 2016 for our team,” Elliott said. “Daytona 500 qualifying day is such an opportunity for the teams to, I feel like, show what they’ve done in the off-season, the kind of work ethic they have, the amount of hours, the massaging they put in these racecars to find those extra hundredths and thousandths of a second that are so crucial on qualifying day.
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“That’s what it’s all about today. I don’t feel like it’s about me. Nothing special I did to earn it. It’s about those guys, the kind of car they brought to the racetrack. That’s the biggest thing I look at. Just excited to be part of the race team. Want to make sure I try my best to do the job that they deserve.”
This is the second straight year that the No. 24 car has been on the pole of the Daytona 500. Last year, Jeff Gordon was on the pole, before retiring.
Gordon now works for Fox Sports and was able to be on the call for Elliott’s pole.
Joining Elliott on the front row is Matt Kenseth. It’s his first career front-row start of the “Great American Race.”
Next Sunday, Elliott will be making his fifth Sprint Cup Series start. Yet, it’ll be his first Daytona 500. Elliott is the son of former NASCAR driver Bill Elliott.
Those who did not qualify on the front row today will have to duel it out at the Can-Am Duals at Daytona on Thursday. The first race begins at 5 pm on Fox Sports 1.
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This is Elliott’s first career pole for Hendrick Motorsports. He made his Sprint Cup Series debut at the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.
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