With a time of 50.801 seconds (177.162 mph), Trevor Bayne was able to grab the pole for the Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona. It was his sixth pole in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Since Bayne is running for the championship, this pole could really boost his momentum. His lap time was very quick, but he had to dodge a lot of bullets.
The qualifying and race rules were changed for the first Nationwide race of the season. Instead of 43 cars, the field now has 40 cars. In qualifying, the top 30 in owner points are locked in the race and the next 9 spots are set based on speed, with the last spot saved for the past champion or slowest go-or-go homer. The first driver to go out onto the track was Joey Gase. Actually, Donnie Neuenberger was supposed to go out first, but he withdrew his entry from the qualifying session. Gase ran the slowest lap of the day and was unable to make the race. The pole switched back and forth between drivers until it reached Travis Pastrana. He was able to lay down the first lap to break the fifty second mark and take the pole. The first driver to out-do him was Trevor Bayne, who was the eventual pole winner. After Bayne's lap, he had to dodge laps from big drivers like Regan Smith, Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and many others, but he was able to and secure the pole.
It was said a lot during the qualifying session, but the pole here at Daytona does not mean anything. Anything can happen and it doesn't matter where you start. But, by the end of the race, Trevor Bayne's pole winning lap could be the main thing that gives him the win or ends his race. We will have to see tomorrow.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Trevor Bayne 50.801 (177.162 mph)
2nd: Sam Hornish, Jr. 50.885 (176.869 mph)
3rd: Parker Kligerman 50.905 (176.800 mph)
4th: Travis Pastrana 50.952 (176.637 mph)
5th: Austin Dillon 51.020 (176.401 mph)
Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
7th: Kyle Busch 51.030 (176.367 mph)
9th: Matt Kenseth 51.042 (176.325 mph)
10th: Tony Stewart 51.043 (176.322 mph)
11th: Brad Keselowski 51.043 (176.322 mph)
12th: Danica Patrick 51.067 (176.239 mph)
13th: Dale Earnhardt Jr. 51.071 (176.225 mph)
Go-or-Go Homers (With Times):
4th: Travis Pastrana 50.952 (176.637 mph)
7th: Kyle Busch 51.030 (176.367 mph)
9th: Matt Kenseth 51.042 (176.325 mph)
12th: Danica Patrick 51.067 (176.239 mph)
13th: Dale Earnhardt Jr. 51.071 (176.225 mph)
16th: Jeff Green 51.161 (175.915 mph)
18th: Jamie Dick 51.195 (175.798 mph)
24th: Scott Lagasse, Jr. 51.358 (175.240 mph)
27th: Mike Harmon 51.433 (174.985 mph)
40th: Kurt Busch 51.435 (174.978 mph)
41st: Bobby Gerhart 51.831 (173.641 mph)
42nd: Morgan Shepherd 51.912 (173.370 mph)
43rd: Dexter Stacey 52.413 (171.713 mph)
44th: Joey Gase 52.963 (169.930 mph)
45th: Donnie Neuenberger No Time*
(*: Donnie Neuenberger withdrew from the qualifying session.)
DNQs: Donnie Neuenberger, Joey Gase, Dexter Stacey, Morgan Shepherd, and Bobby Gerhart
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2013/02/22/nationwide-series-pole-qualifying-daytona.html
-Photo:
http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/nationwide/story/_/id/8975897/trevor-bayne-wins-pole-nationwide-opener-daytona
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