William Byron Takes Daytona 500 Pole, First Pole of Cup Series Career

share it
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 09: William Byron, driver of the #24 Axalta Chevrolet, sits in his car during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 61st Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 9, 2019 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

By Toby Christie         

William Byron and Chad Knaus will get their new partnership started from the front row in the Daytona 500.

Knaus, the crew chief who was split from his long-time driver Jimmie Johnson following a disappointing 2018 campaign was paired with the 21-year-old Byron.

In Sunday’s qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway, Byron was the fastest driver in the final 12-car round of qualifying with a lap speed of 194.305 mph (46.319 sec.). Not only is it Byron’s first-career pole in NASCAR’s most prestigious race, but it is also his first overall pole in 37 career attempts.

Byron barely eked out his Hendrick Motorsports teammates for the pole, as HMS cars were the four-fastest qualifiers in the session.

Alex Bowman, who won the pole for the Daytona 500 a year ago, has locked in his second-place starting position. The front row is all that gets locked in for next Sunday’s Daytona 500, as the rest of the field will be set in Thursday’s Gander RV Duel qualifying races.

CLICK HERE FOR 2019 DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING RESULTS (pdf)

CLICK HERE FOR GANDER RV DUEL 1 STARTING LINEUP (pdf)

CLICK HERE FOR GANDER RV DUEL 2 STARTING LINEUP (pdf)


Did you enjoy this story? If so, you can become_a_patron_button. Patrons get the opportunity to help this website grow as well as help mold the direction of what I cover in the future. You also will receive an awesome T-Shirt, a decal and you’ll be invited to an exclusive racing chat room on Discord.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Post

NASCAR TV Schedule Bristol Motor Speedway April 2026
NASCAR TV Schedule: Bristol Motor Speedway (April 10-12)
Alex Bowman has been medically cleared to return to competition in the NASCAR Cup Series and will run the Food City 500 at Bristol.
Alex Bowman Medically Cleared, Will Race At Bristol
Michael Guttilla has been named the new CLUB President of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Acquires Michael Guttilla As President
Gray Gaulding will make his first NASCAR National Series start in three years, as he pilots the No. 74 Mike Harmon Racing Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Gray Gaulding to Make First NASCAR Start In Three Years At Bristol
Cleetus McFarland is not approved to compete in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Talladega following a rough series debut at Rockingham Speedway.
Cleetus McFarland Not Approved For Talladega In O'Reilly Series After Rockingham Start
Chase Briscoe Intros Daytona 2026
Chase Briscoe Joining TRICON for Bristol Craftsman Truck Series Start

Join Our Newsletter

Ready to have NASCAR news hand-delivered to your email daily?

Related Article