Austin Hill is looking to go back-to-back in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Daytona International Speedway, and he’s certainly gotten off to a great start, winning the pole for Saturday’s Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300.
Hill, in his second full season for Richard Childress Racing, was the last driver to qualify in the second round of Saturday’s single-car qualifying session, posting a quick time of 49.298 seconds (182.563mph).
The pole position for the Georgia native is the seventh for Richard Childress Racing in the last eight NASCAR Xfinity Series season-opening races at Daytona International Speedway, with seven different drivers.
Parker Kligerman, in his first full-time NASCAR campaign in a decade, will start alongside the No. 21 on the front row, in his No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet Camaro.
Cole Custer and Sheldon Creed will make up the second row for Saturday’s event, with Justin Allgaier completing the top five, driving for JR Motorsports.
Daniel Hemric, a two-time pole winner at Daytona, will start in sixth place for Kaulig Racing, with John Hunter Nemechek, Chandler Smith, Riley Herbst, and Anthony Alfredo rounding out the top-10.
For Alfredo, moving to BJ McLeod Motorsports in 2023, a top-10 starting spot in the season-opener at Daytona is a positive step of momentum heading into the new season.
Other notables included Brandon Jones (11th), Sam Mayer (14th), Sammy Smith (15th), Josh Berry (18th), and Justin Haley (19th).
With 44 drivers entered in the season-opening event, six drivers failed to qualify for Saturday’s 300-mile event, those being: Alex Labbe, Timmy Hill, Josh Bilicki, Garrett Smithley, Dexter Stacey, and Ryan Vargas.
