DAYTONA 500 Qualifying
Daytona Beach, Florida – February 14, 2024
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY – NASCAR 101
With an already well-decorated history, Team Penske driver Joey Logano achieved another first for team owner Roger Penske Wednesday by capturing the organization’s first pole for the prestigious DAYTONA 500. Teammate Austin Cindric also advanced to the final round of qualifying, clocking in fourth on the charts. Ryan Blaney finished the session 18th. The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang leads an all-Ford front row as Michael McDowell claimed the second-place starting position, a manufacturer first since 2012. Logano and McDowell leading the field marks the first time since 2015 that the front row consists of two previous DAYTONA 500 champions.
Tonight’s qualifying session sets the lineup for Thursday’s pair of 150-mile races that ultimately determine the starting order for Sunday’s 66th DAYTONA 500.
Joey Logano, driver, No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang
1st
Austin Cindric, driver, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang
4th
Ryan Blaney, driver, No. 12 Menards/Peak Ford Mustang
18th
HEAR FROM LOGANO: “This is all about the team. Honestly, I’d like to take credit but I can’t today. The guys have done such an amazing job working on these cars. This superspeedway qualifying is 100 percent the car. There’s only so much the driver can do, so I’m really proud of them. That’s a big win for our team, for everyone at Team Penske, Ford with the new Dark Horse Mustang. Being able to come down here and put it on the pin and finally someone else wins the pole here. That part feels good. I’ve never even been close to a superspeedway pole before, so this is my first pole on a speedway. It couldn’t be at a cooler event, obviously at the Daytona 500. I’m proud of the team. I can’t thank everybody enough. Shell-Pennzoil, Hunt Brothers Pizza, AAA, Autotrader, everybody that supports this No. 22 car. It’s a huge deal for Team Penske.”
DUEL LINEUPS: Logano will lead the field to green in the first Duel, with teammates Cindric and Blaney slated to start second and ninth, respectively, in the second Duel. Coverage of the races begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
TEAM PENSKE AT DAYTONA: Team Penske has started 154 races at Daytona International Speedway, 77 of which were in the league’s marquee event, the DAYTONA 500. Of the organization’s three wins in The Great American Race, the most recent came in 2022 when Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang, etched his name in history as the first rookie to win the crown jewel event. Ryan Newman recorded Team Penske’s first win in the event in 2008, followed by Logano in 2015.
