As a qualifying algorithm set the starting lineup for most races during the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season in lieu of qualifying, Kyle Larson found himself on the pole for many races by default. Fast forward to 2022, and Larson has earned the right to call himself the polesitter: And in the biggest time trial session of them all, too.
Wednesday night, Kyle Larson made his way to the second round of qualifying and then laid down a scorcher of a lap, posting a time of 49.68 seconds (181.159 MPH) to score the pole for the Daytona 500. Larson beat Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman for the top spot, giving Hendrick a sweep of the Daytona 500 front row for the eighth time in team history.
With his first Daytona 500 pole, Larson now becomes the fifth driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the Daytona 500 pole the year after winning the Cup championship. Larson joins Cale Yarborough (1978), Jeff Gordon (1999), Dale Jarrett (2000), and Jimmie Johnson (2008) among drivers to win the Daytona 500 pole the year after winning the Cup Series title.
The lap that gave Kyle Larson the pole for the 2022 Daytona 500. pic.twitter.com/V2CPTFCJ3V
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 17, 2022
Daytona 500 qualifying results
1 - #5 - Kyle Larson
2 - #48 - Alex Bowman
3 - #24 - William Byron
4 - #10 - Aric Almirola
5 - #9 - Chase Elliott
6 - #19 - Martin Truex Jr.
7 - #1 - Ross Chastain
8 - #11 - Denny Hamlin
9 - #99 - Daniel Suarez
10 - #21 - Harrison Burton (R)
"It's really neat. Any time I think you're really proud of your team to get a pole here, because the littlest (sic) that it has to do with us drivers is qualifying at superspeedways," Larson told Fox Sports. "Just a huge thank you to the engine shop at Hendrick Motorsports. Everybody who's had a part in touching these vehicles, whether it be on the computer, engineering, or just hands-on.
"It's really neat. Just awesome the speed in our Hendrickcars.com Chevy. And hopefully this is the start of a really good weekend."
Hendrick cars had the top three fastest times in qualifying and four of the Top 5, with only Aric Almirola breaking up the Fearsome Foursome and preventing a 1-2-3-4 sweep. Other drivers to make the second round of qualifying included Martin Truex Jr., Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, Daniel Suarez, and Harrison Burton.
The results of Daytona 500 qualifying were also significant for two drivers among the non-chartered "Open" teams attempting to qualify for the race. Noah Gragson, driving for Beard Motorsports, and Jacques Villeneueve for Team Hezeberg were the two fastest cars in their class, ensuring that they qualify for the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Both will be in their first Daytona 500 -- Gragson after several years in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and Villeneuve after a long and decorated racing career that includes a victory in the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and the 1997 Formula 1 world championship.
The next fastest among the Open cars were Kaz Grala for Floyd Mayweather-owned The Money Team Racing, Greg Biffle for NY Racing, and MBM Motorsports teammates J.J. Yeley and Timmy Hill. Grala and Biffle can qualify for the Daytona 500 either by being the top-finishing Open car in their Bluegreen Vacations Duel race on Thursday night or by virtue of their qualifying time if Gragson and/or Villeneuve are the top-finishing Open car. Yeley and Hill cannot fall back on their qualifying time and must race their way in through the Duel.
The results of time trial qualifying have set the starting lineups for the Bluegreen Vacations Duel, with odd-numbered qualifiers in Duel 1 and even-numbered qualifiers in Duel 2. The Bluegreen Vacations Duel will be Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. The results of the Bluegreen Vacations Duel races will set starting spots 3-40 for the Daytona 500.
Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 starting lineup
1 - #5 - Kyle Larson
2 - #24 - William Byron
3 - #9 - Chase Elliott
4 - #1 - Ross Chastain
5 - #99 - Daniel Suarez
6 - #16 - Daniel Hemric
7 - #12 - Ryan Blaney
8 - #8 - Tyler Reddick
9 - #6 - Brad Keselowski
10 - #14 - Chase Briscoe
11 - #2 - Austin Cindric (R)
12 - #43 - Erik Jones
13 - #45 - Kurt Busch
14 - #31 - Justin Haley
15 - #41 - Cole Custer
16 - #38 - Todd Gilliland (R)
17 - #62 - Noah Gragson
18 - #77 - Landon Cassill
19 - #50 - Kaz Grala
20 - #78 - B.J. McLeod
21 - #55 - J.J. Yeley
Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 starting lineup
1 - #48 - Alex Bowman
2 - #10 - Aric Almirola
3 - #19 - Martin Truex Jr.
4 - #11 - Denny Hamlin
5 - #21 - Harrison Burton (R)
6 - #22 - Joey Logano
7 - #20 - Christopher Bell
8 - #23 - Bubba Wallace
9 - #18 - Kyle Busch
10 - #3 - Austin Dillon
11 - #34 - Michael McDowell
12 - #42 - Ty Dillon
13 - #4 - Kevin Harvick
14 - #17 - Chris Buescher
15 - #7 - Corey LaJoie
16 - #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
17 - #51 - Cody Ware
18 - #27 - Jacques Villeneuve
19 - #44 - Greg Biffle
20 - #15 - David Ragan
21 - #66 - Timmy Hill
