List of Daytona 500 pole position winners

NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson waves to fans
Jimmie Johnson won the pole position for the Daytona 500 in 2002 and 2008.

Daytona 500 pole position winners for the NASCAR Cup Series's Daytona 500 are rewarded with being the driver to lead the field across the start line at the beginning of the 200-lap 500-mile (800 km) race. Pole qualifying for the Daytona 500 is held one weekend before the race at the Daytona International Speedway. The driver to complete the fastest single lap in the final of three rounds in the knockout qualifying session around the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) high-banked tri-oval superspeedway earns the pole position. The first Daytona 500 was held in 1959 and in 1982, it became the opening event for the NASCAR Cup season.[1] The term "pole position" was originally coined in the American horse racing industry, and indicated the position of the starter being next to the "poles", which established the boundaries of the course.[2] As of the 2024, under the Race Team Alliance charter system, the 36 chartered cars are guaranteed entry for the race, with the four remaining spots being taken up by non-chartered teams (assuming four non-charted cars enter the race). The two drivers with the fastest qualifying lap in qualifying are awarded the first and second starting positions for the Daytona 500 and the two non-charter teams with the fastest qualifying lap are given entry for race. The other positions for the race are determined by the Daytona Duels, with the two highest finishing non-charter teams in the duels also qualifying for the race.[1]

Bill Elliott set the pole position qualifying record on February 9, 1987, when he navigated around the circuit with a 42.782-second lap, which is an average speed of 210.364 miles per hour (338.548 km/h).[3] From 1988 to 2018, NASCAR required teams to install a restrictor plate between the throttle body and the engine. This rule was enacted as an effort to slow the cars speed in response to an accident in which fans suffered minor injuries when Bobby Allison's car blew a tire and crashed at over 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) during a race at Talladega Superspeedway in 1987.[4] Depending upon the sponsor, era, or a specific year, the qualifying races have been referred to as the "Duels" or the "Twins".[5]

  1. ^ a b Jayski's Silly Season Site. "The Race: The Daytona 500". Race Records, Notes, Rules and News; Daytona 500 Tidbits. Archived from the original on July 11, 2009. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
  2. ^ Beard, Adrian (1968). The language of sport. Routledge, 1998. pp. 52 of 117. ISBN 9780415169110. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  3. ^ "Daytona Beach; Daytona International Speedway". NASCAR. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  4. ^ Gelston, Dan (April 28, 2009). "Bobby Allison recalls close call in '87 Talladega crash". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved August 11, 2009. [permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ Newton, David (February 15, 2006). "Intimidator no more so than in Duel qualifiers". NASCAR. Retrieved September 11, 2009.