Xfinity Qualifying Washout Puts Allgaier On Daytona Pole

Justin Allgaier (right) with crew chief Jim Pohlman at Daytona Int'l Speedway. (HHP/Tom Copeland photo)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A valiant attempt was made to get NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying in Saturday morning at Daytona Int’l Speedway, but Mother Nature had none of it.

A line of showers that passed over the World Center of Racing at 11 a.m. ET interrupted time trials after 12 of 41 cars had taken a lap, forcing the cancellation of the session as a whole.

That means the starting lineup for the United Rentals 300 will be set by the NASCAR rule book, putting defending Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier on the pole position in the No. 7 Chevrolet.

“I guess we ran as fast as Xfinity Mobile in qualifying; I just didn’t have to do any work!” Allgaier joked on pit road moments after the decision was made to scrub the balance of the session.

Allgaier is chasing his second career Daytona Xfinity Series victory, having previously won the summer race in 2023, and hopes to snap Austin Hill’s string of three straight wins in the season opener.

“I’m not a big fan of rained out qualifying efforts, especially because we’ve got fans here [at the track] and everybody is watching at home … however, when you start on the pole, it does make life a little bit easier,” admitted Allgaier. “Really proud of this race team. As odd as it sounds, I really wanted to qualify. The Hendrick engine shop and everyone at Chevrolet and JR Motorsports went to work in the offseason, because we felt qualifying was something we needed to do a better job of, so I’m disappointed we didn’t get to show that.

“At the same time, to be on the pole here at Daytona is big. I don’t know how you stay up there, but we have a lot of friends around us,” he added. “I want so badly to be able to win here in the spring. Would love for that to happen.”

Weather actually wreaked havoc on the Xfinity Series twice Saturday morning, delaying the start of qualifying by 40 minutes from its scheduled 10 a.m. ET kickoff and shrinking the session from two rounds to just one.

Of the 12 cars that completed a lap before qualifying was halted, Garrett Smithley had been fastest for SS Green Light Racing at 49.780 seconds (180.796 mph), less than a tenth of a second off last February’s pole time.

Instead, those laps were wiped from the record books, with car owner points from 2024 placing rookie-of-the-year contender Taylor Gray alongside Allgaier on the front row.

Another rookie rolls third in Christian Eckes, with Hill starting fourth in his quest for a fourth February win at the World Center of Racing. William Sawalich lines up fifth, placing three rookies among the top five grid spots.

Sheldon Creed, Brandon Jones, Sam Mayer, Jesse Love, and Carson Kvapil closed out the top 10 starters.

Love was hoping to defend his pole position from a year ago, but instead will look to improve upon his 20th-place finish from the 2024 opener.

“I’ve never won one of these things from the pole, so it’s probably a good thing I’m not starting there,” Love said with a chuckle. “I felt really good about the speed in our car in practice, and I thought we would have a shot at it. Proud of everyone from ECR (Engines) and Richard Childress Racing for bringing a fast car … and I’m motivated to drive to the front.

“Should be a really fun race. This is typical Florida weather.”

Notables starting deeper in the lineup include Nick Sanchez (11th), Daniel Dye (12th), Sammy Smith (13th), four-time NASCAR modified champion Justin Bonsignore (15th), rookie sensation Connor Zilisch (20th), Anthony Alfredo (27th), Harrison Burton (32nd), and Ryan Truex (33rd), who won at Daytona last summer with Joe Gibbs Racing and is driving for Sam Hunt Racing this weekend.

With 41 drivers in attendance for 38 starting spots, Carson Ware, C.J. McLaughlin, and J.J. Yeley failed to make the field.

The United Rentals 300 is slated for a 5 p.m. ET start from Daytona Int’l Speedway, with live coverage on The CW, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.