Chase Briscoe takes pole for DAYTONA 500 with Toyota

Chase Briscoe was the fastest in both rounds of Wednesday night qualifying for the 67th edition of the DAYTONA 500, setting a time of 49.249 seconds (182.745 mph). With this result, he secured the pole position for Sunday’s race and gave Toyota its first pole in DAYTONA 500 history. Briscoe beat Austin Cindric, the 2022 DAYTONA 500 winner, by just 0.076 seconds. Cindric reached a speed of 182.463 mph.

Schedule of Activities: Daytona 500 Week

The Daytona 500 will take place on Sunday, February 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. in Mexico, 3:30 p.m. in Argentina and Chile, 12:30 p.m. in Colombia and Peru). In Mexico, the race will be broadcast on FOX Sports, while in other Latin American countries, it is recommended to check the schedules on ESPN and DSports.

Pre-race activities include the Duel Races, two 150-mile races that set the full DAYTONA 500 lineup:

• Duel 1: Thursday, February 13, 7:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. Mexico)
• Duel 2: Thursday, February 13, 8:45 p.m. ET (7:45 p.m. Mexico)

The weekend will feature races from other national series:

• Truck Series: Friday, February 14, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Xfinity Series: Saturday, February 15, 5:00 p.m. ET

Briscoe’s First Year with Joe Gibbs Racing

Briscoe, in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, shared his thoughts after the result:

“The whole team worked very hard during the preseason to improve our performance on superspeedways, something I struggled with last year. Starting the year like this is great for us and for Toyota,” said the driver.

Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson, both driving part-time this season, secured their spots on the grid with their qualifying times. Truex finished 22nd overall, while Johnson placed 29th.

Johnson, driving the Toyota No. 84 for Legacy Motor Club, expressed relief at avoiding the challenges of the qualifying format after securing his spot:

“Last year, I had a tough time in the Duels, and I’m glad I don’t have to go through that again. I respect the process, but it’s a big relief not to be among those fighting to make the race,” said Johnson.

Qualifying Results

Toyota led qualifying with Briscoe, while Ford secured most of the following positions. Chevrolet’s top representative was Austin Dillon. Below are the full qualifying times:

The Challenge of the Duels and the Goal for Sunday

The Duels will be key to defining the remaining grid positions and determining which part-time drivers secure a spot in the final lineup. These two 150-mile races represent the last chance for several teams before Sunday’s race.