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Your email address will not be published.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

1-800-PACK-RAT joins Richard Childress Racing as a primary sponsor for Austin Hill and Jesse Love in 2026.
1-800-PACK-RAT Joins RCR in Multi-Race, Multi-Series Primary Sponsorship
Carson Kvapil fills out 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule with four races at DGM Racing
Carson Kvapil Fills 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Schedule With Four Races at DGM Racing
Chase Briscoe is among the 2025 Playoff contenders who got their 2026 Chase bid off to a rough start in the Daytona 500.
Race To The Chase: Some Heavy Hitters In Precarious Spot Heading Into Atlanta
NASCAR Cup Series
B'laster Products Returns for Two-Race Support of McDowell
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 208
Entry List for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 208 at EchoPark Speedway
GettyImages-2201357834
Entry List for NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Bennett 250 at EchoPark Speedway

Join Our Newsletter

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

Related Article