DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Busch won the pole for NASCAR’s season-opening Daytona 500 to give the driver with the longest active losing streak in “The Great American Race” a shot at the victory that has escaped him his entire career.
Busch is 0 for 20 in the Daytona 500 and hasn’t started in the top five since 2016, when he still drove for Joe Gibbs Racing. He started fourth and finished third that year, then was a career-best second to then-teammate Denny Hamlin in 2019.
He earned the pole Wednesday night with a lap at 183.925 mph in a Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, the team that signed him before the 2023 season when his contract was up with Gibbs and his salary was too high for most teams.
But his time in the No. 8 has been rocky for the two-time NASCAR champion. He’s won three races since joining RCR — all in his first season — and takes a 93-race losing streak into the Daytona 500.
His pole runs continues a strong few weeks for Busch and his family: Older brother, Kurt, was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame last month.
Chase Briscoe, last year’s pole-sitter, qualified second in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Although 37 drivers were locked into the race ahead of time trials, the starting order is not determined until after a pair of Thursday night qualifying races. Of those locked in, 36 drive chartered cars that guarantee a spot in every race. An additional slot went to seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson under a provisional rule that allows for a 41st “world-class driver” trying to enter a Cup event.
Johnson is a two-time Daytona 500 winner and finished third last year. He left full-time NASCAR racing after the 2020 season.
There were two spots open for those not already locked in and they were claimed by Corey Heim for 23XI Racing and Justin Allgaier for JR Motorsports. They were the fastest cars in time trials.
Heim will be making his Daytona 500 debut, while Allgaier is in for the fourth time in his career and the second consecutive year while driving for two-time race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“It’s such a great sport to be part of it and it’s awesome to be able to come down here and try to make your way in,” Earnhardt said. “It is stressful, but that’s the best part about it.”
There are two remaining open spots in the field that will be decided Thursday night via a pair of 150-mile qualifying races. The highest finisher in each race among the drivers not qualified will earn a berth in the Daytona 500.
Those still trying to get in the race are: Anthony Alfredo, Corey LaJoie, BJ McLeod, Casey Mears, Chandler Smith and J.J. Yeley. Only two will race Sunday.
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Kyle Busch grabs Daytona 500 pole, chasing a win that has eluded him for 20 starts
