This will be the second time Truex will start the Daytona 500 from pole position. Apart from the two drivers, the rest of the field will be positioned based on the Gatorade Duels set to begin this Thursday. Ryan Newman, last year's winner of the event, could only manage 3rd place, enough though to guarantee him a place on the Daytona 500 grid next Sunday.
“Well, it's been a tough winter. Everybody's read about what's going on with the team and there was a lot of uncertainty throughout most part of the winter but I'm proud of my guys for sticking with it and not letting anything get them down,” said Truex Jr. after securing pole for the season opener.
“It's not really important to qualify up front here, but we've never really had a shot at the pole before and it's nice to come here and see that we had it. It's a great way to start off the week here at Daytona,” added the pole sitter.
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing was clearly the top team during the weekend's qualifiers, as they've managed to put all 3 of their drivers in the Top 10 – Juan Montoya recorded the 4th best time of the day, while Aric Almirola had to settle for 7th place. Hendrick Motorsport will also tackle the Daytona 500 as clear favorites, as they have all 3 drivers inside the Top 15 – Jimmie Johnson finished 6th, Jeff Gordon 9th and Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12th.
Chevrolet managed to put 10 of its drivers into the Top 15. Ford's best positioned driver after the qualifying session was 5th placed Bill Elliott, while Toyota only managed 15th place through Kyle Busch. Dodge's best placed driver on the grid was Reed Sorenson, in 28th place.
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