NASCAR Cup Series: 2019 Daytona 500 qualifying – Live updates
By Asher Fair
Who will take the pole position for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season opener, the Daytona 500? Here are live qualifying updates.
Qualifying for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season opener, the 61st annual Daytona 500, is underway.
A total of 42 drivers are set to attempt to qualify for this 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona International Speedway oval in Daytona Beach, Florida. Of these 42 drivers, 40 will qualify for the race.
Of the 40 drivers who will qualify for the race, 36 are already locked into the field as a result of the fact that they drive for chartered teams. Of these 36 drivers, 33 are full-time drivers who are set to compete in all 36 races on the 2019 schedule.
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Six of the 42 drivers who are set to attempt to qualify for this race are not locked into the field. Of these six drivers, four will qualify for the race while two will not.
In this single-car qualifying session, these 42 drivers will all complete one timed lap. The drivers who record the top 12 lap times will advance to the second round, and the drivers who record the top two lap times in the second round will secure the pole position and the second starting position, respectively, for the Daytona 500 next Sunday, February 17.
The final speed chart of today’s single-car qualifying session will determine the starting lineups for the Gander RV Duels on Thursday, February 14.
Here are live updates of qualifying for the Daytona 500.
Qualifying complete
Second round
Rank – Driver – Speed (miles per hour)
1 – William Byron – 194.305
2 – Alex Bowman – 194.154
3 – Jimmie Johnson – 193.807
4 – Chase Elliott – 193.782
5 – Daniel Hemric – 192.46
6 – Joey Logano – 192.448
7 – Martin Truex Jr. – 192.353
8 – Clint Bowyer – 192.291
9 – Brad Keselowski – 192.263
10 – Austin Dillon – 191.416
11 – Paul Menard – 191.107
12 – Denny Hamlin – 190.492
First round
13 – Kyle Busch – 191.164
14 – Erik Jones – 191.127
15 – Kevin Harvick – 190.957
16 – Tyler Reddick – 190.836
17 – Ryan Blaney – 190.799
18 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 190.771
19 – Aric Almirola – 190.739
20 – Daniel Suarez – 190.698
21 – Kurt Busch – 190.589
22 – Chris Buescher – 190.432
23 – David Ragan – 190.420
24 – Ryan Newman – 190.018
25 – Michael McDowell – 189.978
26 – Casey Mears – 189.849
27 – Ryan Truex – 189.737
28 – Ryan Preece – 189.709
29 – Jamie McMurray – 189.482
30 – Matt DiBenedetto – 189.414
31 – Brendan Gaughan – 189.394
32 – Kyle Larson – 189.215
33 – Darrell Wallace Jr. – 189.191
34 – Ty Dillon – 188.715
35 – Matt Tifft – 188.667
36 – Parker Kligerman – 188.206
37 – Ross Chastain – 187.899
38 – Landon Cassill – 187.402
39 – Corey Lajoie – 185.847
40 – Cody Ware – 183.737
41 – B.J. McLeod – 182.682
42 – Joey Gase – 180.930
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Be sure to stay tuned for live Daytona 500 qualifying updates to see which two drivers will start the first race of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season on the front row. The race itself is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 17, and it is set to be broadcast live on Fox from Daytona International Speedway. Be sure not to miss it.