TC Daily Pit Stop: Logano, McDowell Land Daytona 500 Front Row; Alfredo, Ragan Qualify In; Yeley Driving NY No. 44; More from Media Day

TC Daily Pit Stop: Thursday, February 15th, 2024

Feb 15, 2024

Photo Credit: Craig White, TobyChristie.com

For the first time in more than a decade, a Ford is on the pole for the Daytona 500.

Joey Logano, driving the No. 22 for Team Penske, posted the quickest time in the final round of qualifying on Wednesday, posting a lap of 49.465 seconds (181.947mph) to score his first Daytona 500 pole.

Michael McDowell will start alongside Logano on the front row for Sunday’s 500-mile contest, securing his starting spot for the season-opener. The remainder of the starting lineup will be set via finishing position in Thursday’s duel races.

In qualifying, Larson was third with Cindric, Elliott, Byron, Dillon, Busch, Chastain, and Burton completing the top-10

Anthony Alfredo, David Ragan Secure Spot in 2024 Daytona 500 Via Qualifying Speed

Anthony Alfredo and David Ragan have locked themselves into the 2024 Daytona 500, after posting the fastest two qualifying laps of the six open entries in Wednesday’s qualifying session.

Alfredo, driving the No. 62 for Beard Motorsports, was the quickest of the open entries and slotted in 20th-overall, while David Ragan ranked 27th for RFK Racing in the No. 60.

Jimmie Johnson (35th), BJ McLeod (40th), JJ Yeley (41st), and Kaz Grala (NT) will now have to rely on Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duels to qualify for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season-opener.

On the Brink of Historic Daytona 500 Pole Mark, Bowman Credits Hendrick Team

Alex Bowman’s prolific qualifying efforts in the Daytona 500 have been well-documented. However, heading into Wednesday night’s Daytona 500 qualifying session, the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has the chance to reach truly rarified air.

If Bowman can turn the fastest lap in the session, it will mark his fourth-career Daytona 500 pole position, which would move him into a four-way tie for the all-time Daytona 500 pole lead with Cale Yarborough, Bill Elliott, and Buddy Baker.

While he sits on the precipice of history, Bowman isn’t getting swept up in it. Heading into Wednesday’s Daytona 500 Media Day, the Arizona native wasn’t even aware of the historic mark that he has a chance to achieve.

“I didn’t even know that,” Bowman laughed. “So that kind of shows you where I’m at.”

Daniel Suárez Feeling ‘No Extra Pressure’ from Presence of Growing Trackhouse Roster

Daniel Suárez has spent the duration of his NASCAR career breaking down barriers — initially as NASCAR’s first foreign-born champion in 2016, and more recently as the first Mexican-born driver to score a victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.

It hasn’t been an easy road for Suárez, though, having competed with four different organizations in his seven years as a full-time competitor at NASCAR’s top-level. Though, after much perseverance, the Monterrey, Mexico-native has seemingly found his home in Trackhouse Racing.

Shane Van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch, and Zane Smith are all in the Trackhouse pipeline, with Marks having public interest in getting Smith and/or SVG in-house as soon as next year.

Could that impact the positioning of Daniel Suárez beyond this year, despite his signing of a multi-year contract last February? Despite any potential chatter or speculation, the 32-year-old driver isn’t letting that add any further pressure to what is already a pressure-packed industry.

Richard Petty, Daytona International Speedway Unveil ‘The King’s Hat’ Statue

Prior to NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on Wednesday, Daytona International Speedway track president Frank Kelleher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty unveiled a piece of art titled “The King’s Hat” in the Hard Rock Bet Fanzone at Daytona International Speedway.

While the statue at Daytona is special, that is not where “The King’s Hat” initiative ends.

28 versions of “The King’s Hat” will be hand-crafted by TivoliToo, Inc. Each statue will have its own unique artwork, and the 28 statues will be permanently placed on the grounds of every NASCAR-owned track on the schedule, every Speedway Motorsports-owned track on the schedule, as well as Indianapolis Motor Speedway, World Wide Technology Raceway, and Pocono Raceway.

J.J. Yeley Lands Last-Minute Drive for NY Racing in 2024 Daytona 500

*Photo Credit: Jonathan McCoy, Racing America*

JJ Yeley, a NASCAR Cup Series veteran of nearly two decades, has received the last-minute phone call to attempt the 2024 Daytona 500 for NY Racing, per an update to NASCAR’s Preliminary Entry List on Wednesday.

The 47-year-old racer will pilot the No. 44 100 Coconut Water Chevrolet Camaro for the organization owned by John Cohen, whose entry into the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway has been surrounded by controversy before cars have been on track.

Following the release of the preliminary entry list on Monday, several images surfaced on social media of the NY Racing hauler en route to Daytona Beach, Florida, with the name and signature of Greg Biffle prominently displayed.

It didn’t take long for those claims to fall by the wayside, though, with the 19-time NASCAR Cup Series winner posting a statement to social media shortly thereafter, in which the Vancouver, Washington-native confirmed he wouldn’t be running the season-opener, or any other race, for NY Racing at this time.

TC Daily Pit Stop: Logano, McDowell Land Daytona 500 Front Row; Alfredo, Ragan Qualify In; Yeley Driving NY No. 44; More from Media Day

TC Daily Pit Stop: Thursday, February 15th, 2024

Non-Daytona 500 Headlines (Wednesday, February 14):

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