Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The roar from the Daytona International Speedway crowd confirmed it. On a brisk but sunny afternoon, all seemed right with NASCAR nation. Let the 2011 season begin.
The sport's favorite son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start his No. 88 AMP Energy Chevrolet from the pole position for the Feb. 20 Daytona 500 after posting the fastest lap of qualifying (186.089 mph) Sunday on the newly-paved 2.5-mile track. It is Earnhardt's first superspeedway pole and comes 10 years after his father, the legendary seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500 -- a fact not lost on a largely sentimental crowd cheering him on Sunday.
Earnhardt's Hendrick Motorsports teammate, three-time Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon completes the other half of one of the most popular starting front rows in recent 500 memory. Rookie Trevor Bayne was a surprise third-place qualifier for the iconic Woods Brothers Racing team. Richard Childress Racing teammates Paul Menard and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top-five fastest speeds.
Only the front row is set for the race. The remaining portion of the 43-car field will be filled out according to the finishing order in Thursday's Gatorade Duel 150-mile qualifying races. Each of the Duels starting lineups will be assigned according to the qualifying results.
The last driver to win the Daytona 500 from the pole was Dale Jarrett in 2000.
"We're fired up,'' said Earnhardt, who started second and finished second in last year's 500. "I had a great car today. I didn't have a whole lot to do about it (winning the pole), just held on. The power and the body does all the work.
"It obviously gives you the idea you've got a great car. But anybody can win the race. The main thing for me is it takes the pressure off the (Gatorade Duel) qualifier, I don't have to worry about where I finish and I can just go out there and have fun.''
As for the timing of his first pole at the track coming on the 10-mark of his father's tragic death, Earnhardt deferred the irony.
"I'm here to race,'' Earnhardt said. "I understand the situation and I look forward to seeing how people remember and honor my father. But I don't really get into the hypothetical, fairy-tale ending stuff. I just need to focus on my job and what gets me closer to victory lane on Sunday.''
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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/13/dale-earnhardt-jr-wins-pole-position-for-daytona-500/
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