Carl Edwards on pole for the Daytona 500

Ford Racing sweeps the front row for the Daytona 500.
Courtesy of Ford Racing
Carl Edwards won the pole for the Daytona 500 on Sunday right from the get-go. Edwards went out fifth and no one was able to top his speeds. Not even Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won last year’s pole award. Following Carl Edwards on the timing charts was teammate Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Marcos Ambrose, and Casey Mears.

Edwards' pole speed of 194.738 mph is the fastest pole winning speed in Daytona 500 Coors Light 
Pole qualifying since 1999 (Jeff Gordon, 195.067 mph). With the announcement earlier today that NASCAR is 
reverting back to the old ways of Shootout eligibility, Edwards is the first driver to claim his spot in the 2013 
Shootout.

A big factor that played into today’s qualifying was the wind, which gradually picked up as more cars finished up their laps. This is why it is evident that cars who qualified early in the session did better in the long run. 

Edwards and Biffle are the only two drivers with their Daytona 500 starting positions set, the remainder of the 41 positions are up for grab in Thursday's Gatorade Duels. Of the go or go home cars, 4 drivers were able to lock into the field: Trevor Bayne, Tony Raines, David Stremme and Terry Labonte will all be in the Daytona 500. The remaining spots are up for grabs on Thursday and will likely come down to a battle heading to the checkered flag. 

Clint Bowyer had a problem post-qualifying, his car was too low on inspection and his time will be disallowed. Bowyer will start from the rear of the field in his duel race. No penalties will be assessed to his team per NASCAR. 

See how your driver qualified for The Great American Race here:

1. Carl Edwards
2. Greg Biffle
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4. Marcos Ambrose
5. Casey Mears
6. Jeff Gordon
7. Martin Truex Jr.
8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
9. Trevor Bayne
10. Tony Stewart
11. Mark Martin
12. Jimmie Johnson
13. Aric Almirola
14. Paul Menard
15. David Ragan
16. Matt Kenseth
17. Ryan Newman
18.AJ Allmendinger
19. Brad Keselowski
20. Kevin Harvick
21. Joey Logano
22. Clint Bowyer
23. Jeff Burton
24. Juan Pablo Montoya
25. Kasey Kahne
26. Tony Raines
27. David Stremme
28. Kyle Busch
29. Jamie McMurray
30. Danica Patrick
31. Kenny Wallace
32. Terry Labonte
33. Dave Blaney
34. Kurt Busch
35. Elliott Sadler
36. Michael Waltrip
37. Joe Nemechek
38. Denny Hamlin
39. Regan Smith
40. Michael McDowell
41. Landon Cassill
42. David Gilliland
43. Bobby Labonte
44. Bill Elliott
45. Mike Wallace
46. David Reutimann
47. Robert Richardson Jr.
48. Robby Gordon
49. J.J. Yeley

Television schedule:
Practice- 12 PM ET Wednesday on SPEED
Practice- 2:30 PM ET Wednesday on SPEED
Gatorade Duels- 1 PM ET Thursday on SPEED
Practice- 11 AM ET Friday on SPEED
Practice- 12:30 PM ET Friday on SPEED
Practice- 10:30 AM ET Saturday on SPEED
Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway- 12 PM ET Sunday on FOX
Carl Edwards on pole for the Daytona 500 Carl Edwards on pole for the Daytona 500 Reviewed by Holly Machuga on Sunday, February 19, 2012 Rating: 5