Elliott claims second consecutive Daytona pole

By tradition, only the front row is determined during pole qualifying at DIS with the make-up of the starting field for the upcoming Daytona 500 starting field to be determined through the results of the Can-Am Duel events on Thursday night.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. hands a fan back a model vehicle after he autographed it during a NASCAR auto racing practice session at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017, in Daytona Beach, Fla. Drivers earn a spot on the council through performance or by election from other members. Elliott just beat out Dale Earnhardt Junior, who came in second and will join Elliott on the front row.

Other than the front row, the rest of the starting lineup will be set after both 150-mile qualifying races on Thursday. It marked a new way races were run, with three different stages each week.

Brad Keselowski is slated to start from the pole in a race comprised primarily of pole winners from last season. “The auto does all the work”, Earnhardt said. Past year he placed 20. “Daytona 500 pole day, as it should be, is more about the teams and what they bring over the offseason from the chassis shop to the [No.] 24 shop in particular, the body shot, our Hendrick department, Chevrolet”.

Earnhardt, like his late father was, is considered the best restrictor-plate racer in NASCAR.

That’s especially true in racing, where danger lurks at every corner, and especially on tracks like Daytona and Talladega, where cars race in packs only inches apart. Where once there would have been 50 cars or more trying to start Daytona, there are now 42.

Jeffrey is the fourth Earnhardt to contest for the Daytona 500. Canadian DJ Kennington of St. Thomas, Ont., is one of the four drivers getting ready to fight it out for the last two spots. He was the youngest ever to win pole for the Great American Race and the third rookie to do so.

Earnhardt said his neurologist, Dr. Micky Collins, medical director of the UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) Sports Medicine, impressed upon him that an attempted return was wise only with the requisite personal passion. He and his uncle, Dale Jr., will be in the pack – the first time two Earnhardts have been in the field since the year Dale Sr. died.

Denny Hamlin (46.823), Kevin Harvick (46.829) and Kasey Kahne (46.853) finished qualifying sixth, seventh and eighth respectively.

That’s right, the guy who came 10 laps away from winning his first championship last November gave up his seat at Joe Gibbs Racing.

The victor of the Clash was Joey Logano, who moved past leaders Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski on the final lap as they were involved in a wreck. Joey Logano would win.

For Daytona, B.J. McLeod Motorsports is proud to welcome the support of Carefree Catering, ICE-FROST and @CouchCrewChief who will serve as associate marketing partners for the team’s 34 career XFINITY Series race. Logano slipped by on the outside as Hamlin and Keselowski slowed down low.

Will Jimmie Johnson claim an eighth NASCAR champion in 2017? He has three career wins at Daytona and won this race last in 2013.

But there will be some change this year.

Laps 1-85, 86-170 and 171-334 for the Monster Energy Cup O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 on April 9 and AAA Texas 500 on November 5.