Chase Briscoe Wins Pole for NASCAR Finale: Chase Briscoe got the position for the last NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Friday. Briscoe defeated Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Aric Almirola to the top starting place with an 181.822-mph lap in the No. 14 Ford.
Harrison Burton finished third, followed by 23IX Racing teammates Bubba Wallace and Ty Gibbs in Toyotas. All five are among the 17 drivers vying for the final berth in the series’ Daytona postseason race.
Briscoe, who is not in the points race, said of his pole position win: “We have nothing to lose. That feels liberating and soothing.” Nine of the top 12 winners drove Fords. This demonstrates Ford’s strength.
Wallace leads Gibbs by 32 points heading to Daytona. Wallace is 16th and last in the playoffs. Daniel Suárez is second with 43 points behind Wallace. Only one of the three Toyota drivers can secure their seat with points. A 14-car Coke Zero Sugar 400 win may knock these three out of the top slot. Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman are superspeedway legends. Almirola, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, and Justin Haley have all won the Daytona 500, so the finish will be close.
When the race begins, fans and drivers will watch Briscoe. Briscoe compared it to the NCAA Tournament: “Everyone loves underdogs. It would be like the 16th. We want in and make noise.”
Elliott placed 23rd in qualifying, eight spots ahead of Bowman. Elliott stated, “I hope it comes down to the two of us because that means one of us will get in.” He was discussing how close and pleasant the racers were. I hope so for Hendrick Motorsports. One of us will never have enough. I’m eager about racing.
Many things have gone wrong for Hendrick Motorsports this season. Elliott and Bowman have struggled, while William Byron and Kyle Larson have secured their seats. Elliott missed six early races after breaking his left leg skiing in March. After intentionally wrecking Denny Hamlin, he was banned from another race. Bowman had issues. He missed three races after a sprint car accident damaged his back, costing him 60 points for breaking the regulations.
Elliott added, “A friend told me this week, ‘Dude, you missed seven races and were like 40 points from 16th before Michigan.'” Talking about his tough season. I sat on the couch for seven weekends this year and had a real chance of getting in, which I never thought conceivable, considering we haven’t been running well.
Elliott remains optimistic despite the odds. “We haven’t won yet, but I’m proud of our work and think better days are coming.” As the Daytona final race approaches, the stakes have never been higher. With seasoned and inexperienced drivers competing for the final playoff slot, the NASCAR Cup Series ends with excitement.
Our Reader’s Queries
Who won the NASCAR pole at Texas?
The Cup Series field at Texas Motor Speedway will be led by Bubba Wallace as he takes the green flag on Sunday afternoon. With a lap of 188.337 mph, Wallace secured the pole position. Catch the race at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, followed by the post-race show on Peacock.
How many NASCAR wins does Chase Briscoe have?
Briscoe, who used to steer the No. 98 Ford in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, clinched his ninth Xfinity triumph of 2020 at Kansas Speedway, bringing his total career Xfinity wins to 11.
Who has the most poles in NASCAR history?
Discover the top pole winners of NASCAR by season on pages 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018. Richard Petty takes the lead with an impressive 123 poles, followed by David Pearson with 113 and Jeff Gordon with 81. Cale Yarborough also makes the list with 69 poles. Check out the full rankings for each season and see who comes out on top.
Who won the pole at Talladega?
Aric Almirola secured the pole position for the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway during Saturday’s qualifying session. He clocked in at 52.715 seconds (181.656 MPH) in the final round, earning his second pole of the 2023 season and his first since July’s Atlanta race.
