McDowell Rockets To Pole For Coke Zero Sugar 400

Michael McDowell celebrates his Busch Light Pole Award Friday at Daytona Int'l Speedway. (Matthew Thacker/NKP photo)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Michael McDowell left absolutely no doubt about the fastest car in town during Busch Light Pole Qualifying Friday evening at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

McDowell swept both rounds of time trials and roared to his fourth career NASCAR Cup Series pole during his final run around the 2.5-mile high banks, besting his closest competitor by nearly a full tenth of a second.

The 39-year-old from Phoenix, Ariz., posted a time of 49.136 seconds (183.165 mph) with the No. 34 Long John Silver’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse, setting a NextGen-era track record at Daytona in the process.

All four of McDowell’s Cup Series poles have come this season, including three straight on drafting-style racetracks.

“These [superspeedway] poles are just a testament to how hard everybody’s working at Front Row [Motorsports],” said McDowell, who won the Daytona 500 in 2021, but only has a best finish of fourth in the summer race and has failed to finish two of the last three 400-milers at the World Center of Racing.

Michael McDowell in action at Daytona Int'l Speedway on Friday. (HHP/Jacy Norgaard photo)

“This is a big weekend for us [as a team] … so, hopefully, we can stay up front, control the race, and give ourselves a fighting chance to get in these playoffs,” McDowell continued. “Right now, I’m just really proud of everybody. It’s hard to come down to these superspeedways and sit on the pole, but Roush-Yates Engines are just crushing it right now. It’s a major team effort.

“When you come down here [to qualify at Daytona], the driver doesn’t have a whole lot to do with it. It’s awesome to get the Long John Silver’s Ford Mustang on the pole, and we’ll go now and see what we can do in the race.”

Completing a Front Row Motorsports sweep of the front row, McDowell’s teammate Todd Gilliland qualified second in the No. 38 Grillo’s Pickles Ford Mustang Dark Horse after a lap of 49.234 seconds (182.801 mph).

While Gilliland was disappointed to come up just short of his first Cup Series pole, he still earned a career-best starting spot in his 97th race at NASCAR’s top level.

“I wanted it extremely bad,” said Gilliland. “It’s been tough, only because Michael’s gotten the last now three poles in a row on superspeedways. Our Ford Mustangs coming out of Front Row Motorsports are incredibly fast right now, so that’s something to celebrate, but on the flip side of it, we wanted it to be our car this time, you know?

“Regardless, we’ll still be on the front row, and we definitely have a car that's fast enough to go win the race. It’s not the fastest one here [right now], but it’s close to it.”

“I’m super happy to have Grillo’s [Pickles] onboard again, and Ford horsepower swept the top six and has a bunch [of drivers] there at the front. So I’m really excited about our chances in the race and I definitely know that, if we can put together a whole race, we definitely have the speed to get the job done.”

All told, Ford drivers swept the top six spots on the grid for Daytona’s summer spectacular and put seven Blue Ovals in the 10-driver final round. The other three cars were all Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets.

Team Penske’s Joey Logano, a two-time Cup Series champion and the 2015 Daytona 500 winner, starts third ahead of three Stewart-Haas Racing teammates in Ryan Preece, rookie Josh Berry, and Chase Briscoe.

Byron was the best of the Bowtie Brigade in seventh, with 2022 Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott completing the top 10 drivers who advanced through both rounds of knockout qualifying.

Two-time Cup Series champion and 2008 Coke Zero Sugar 400 winner Kyle Busch was the first driver who failed to make the pole shootout, missing the 10th-place cutoff by two thousandths (.002) of a second.

He’ll start 11th Saturday night in the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, still in search of his first win of the year.

Other notables lining up deeper in the field include the RFK Racing duo of Brad Keselowski (12th) and Chris Buescher (13th), defending Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney (14th), two-time Daytona winner Austin Dillon (16th), and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin (19th).

Current series point leader Tyler Reddick starts 25th Saturday for 23XI Racing after winning his second race of the Cup Series season Monday afternoon at Michigan Int’l Speedway.

With 40 drivers entered for 40 starting spots, everyone in attendance made the field, though Erik Jones did not post a time in the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE for Legacy Motor Club.

Jones started his timed lap, but his car was visibly bouncing on the suspension going down the Daytona Superstretch, leading the Byron, Mich., native to abort his qualifying run.

With the grid set, broadcast coverage of Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET, live on NBC, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.