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Daytona 500 pole Winner Alex Bowman (L) celebrates with runner-up Kyle Larson after qualifying Wednesday at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Photo by Mike Gentry/UPI | License Photo
Feb. 16 (UPI) — Alex Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson will start in the front row of the 2023 Daytona 500 after they posted the top qualifying times. Bowman won the pole and pushed his No. 48 Chevrolet to 181.686 mph in the final round of qualifying Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Larson’s speedometer read 181.159 mph in his No. 5 Chevrolet. Advertisement
“I don’t really feel like I tried to do anything different than the other guys,” Bowman told reporters. “Just try to kind of let the race car go where it wants and not bind it up.
“As a driver, really all you can do is get the best launch you can, hit your shift points right, try to run the best you can, not mess it up. Glad I didn’t mess it up.”
The 2023 Daytona 500 will air at 2:30 p.m. EST Sunday on Fox. Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott and Larson are among the Top 5 favorites in the 40-car field.
Just the first two starters were determined Wednesday. The rest of the order will be determined through two duel races. Drivers who finished in odd positions, behind Bowman and Larson, in the first qualifier race will compete in Duel 1 at 7 p.m. Thursday in Daytona Beach. Drivers who finished in even positions will face off in Duel 2.
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The results from Duel 1 will line up in the inside row of the starting order. The Duel 2 results will determine the order of the outside row.
Austin Cindric won the 2022 Daytona 500. Michael McDowell, Hamlin and Austin Dillon are among other recent Daytona 500 champions. Joey Logano is the defending Cup Series champion.