NASCAR: Daytona speeds dropped a ridiculous amount

Daytona 500 qualifying speeds dropped a ridiculous amount in this year’s session to set the front row for the NASCAR Cup Series season opener.

Leading up to the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, speeds of the Gen 7 car were expected to rival that of the Gen 6 car, perhaps with a little bit of a drop-off based on all the changes.

Our first real glimpse into whether or not that would prove true came in Wednesday night’s single-car qualifying session for the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Instead, speeds dropped a significant amount from last year and were the slowest in five and a half decades.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, the reigning series champion, took the pole position for Sunday’s 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked oval in Daytona Beach, Florida by recording a top lap speed of 181.159 miles per hour (49.680 seconds) behind the wheel of his #5 Chevrolet.

Last year’s pole speed, which was posted by teammate Alex Bowman, was 191.261 miles per hour (47.056 seconds), making it more than 10 miles per hour and two and a half seconds quicker than this year’s.

Larson’s pole speed this year would have been good for 37th place in last year’s qualifying session.

This marks the first time that a Daytona 500 pole speed has been slower than 190 miles per hour in over a decade. Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the pole position for the race in 2011 with a speed of 186.089 miles per hour (48.364 seconds).

No Daytona 500 pole speed has been slower than this year’s since 1967, when Curtis Turner took the pole position with a speed of 180.831 miles per hour (49.770 seconds).

Be sure not to miss tonight’s Bluegreen Vacations Duels, which are set to determine the full starting lineup for the 64th annual Daytona 500. They are set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 from Daytona International Speedway beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET. The “Great American Race” itself is set to be broadcast live on Fox beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 20. Start your free trial of FuboTV today!