Joey Logano and Michael McDowell Lock Daytona 500 Front Row

Joey Logano tallies a thrilling Daytona 500 pole for Team Penske on Wednesday night. (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Joey Logano and Michael McDowell may have Ford Performance wanting to rename their latest iteration of the Mustang from “Dark Horse” to “Crown Prince.”

Entering Wednesday night’s Daytona 500 Front Row Qualifying sessions, Hendrick Motorsports, whether through its team or engines, occupied the front row in some form or fashion for the past nine years. Along the way, Alex Bowman qualified on the front row for the past six years.

Perhaps the extra homework by Ford to update their Mustang entry with the Dark Horse edition paid off, at least with raw speed. Logano, the 2015 Daytona 500 winner and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, showcased his No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse’s speed immediately by posting the fastest time and speed in the first qualifying session, edging out Kyle Larson by 0.089 seconds.

Although Chevrolet fared well in the qualifying sessions, Bowman could only muster the 17th fastest time, resulting in a ninth starting spot for the Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 race on Thursday night.

Before Logano, Larson, Austin Dillon, William Byron, Chase Elliott, McDowell, Austin Cindric, Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain and Harrison Burton vied for the front row, Anthony Alfredo produced a Cinderella moment for his No. 62 Death Wish Coffee Chevrolet Camaro entry fielded by Beard Motorsports.

Posting a time of 50.098 seconds, Alfredo posted the 20th fastest time, good enough to make the Daytona 500 by virtue of speed for open entry teams.

An emotional Anthony Alfredo earned a coveted Daytona 500 starting spot for Beard Motorsports on Wednesday night. (Photo: Jared Bokanoski | The Podium Finish)

“This is insane,” Alfredo said. “We had just talked about any possible scenario we might find ourselves in today, tomorrow and obviously Sunday. But to make it to Sunday is such a challenge with such a competitive field of open cars and drivers behind the wheel, and I am just really thankful for the Beard family to give me this opportunity and for Death Wish Coffee coming on board. We clearly have a fast No. 62 Death Wish Coffee Chevrolet Camaro.”

As thrilled as Alfredo was with making “The Great American Race,” David Ragan, the 2011 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona winner, was equally thrilled. Racing in RFK Racing’s Stage 60 ride, Ragan, who came close to winning the 2011 Daytona 500, has a shot to win it all on Sunday.

“It’s always big to be in the Daytona 500 and the whole week I’ve just been trying to make sure we didn’t make any mistakes,” Ragan said. “I really felt like we were going to have a shot at a top 10 or top 12 starting spot, but it just shows all of the hard work this BuildSubmarines.com Ford team has done.

“Derrick Finley, he puts a lot of effort into the race team at RFK. I’ve worked with him in the past and he’s been nervous as a cat all afternoon and so I’m really proud for Derrick and proud for all of the RFK guys, and appreciate Brad Keselowski and Jack Roush giving me an opportunity to come down here to try to win a Daytona 500.”

Once the final qualifying round kicked off, nine of the 10 finalists bettered their previous efforts. McDowell made the biggest gain, improving his time by 0.247 seconds, nearly a quarter of a second.

For a while, it looked like McDowell, the 2021 Daytona 500 champion, would earn Front Row Motorsports’ first pole in this crown jewel race. However, it was Logano’s night to shine after a 2023 season that he did not find “fun,” perhaps enjoying the start of this year even more.

Logano won the pole for this year’s 500-miler with a time of 49.465 seconds or 181.947 mph. Given how the drivers usually get the accolades, Logano was quick to credit his crew for the preparation and efforts to earn Team Penske’s first Daytona 500 pole.

Joey Logano hopes to score his second Daytona 500 win after earning the pole on Wednesday night. (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)

“This is all about the team,” Logano said. “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.”

For a driver who may have downplayed the excitement and significance of the Daytona 500, Logano did not hide his enthusiasm for his 29th career Busch Light Pole Award.

“I think this team should take the credit for it,” he added. “I was the lucky jockey behind the wheel. That’s all I was on this one. It’s obviously something really special. There is more pride taken as a team for winning the Daytona 500 pole than any other pole in the season because of the amount of effort that goes in all winter long working on this race car.

“It’s nice to see that there’s a lot of speed there and it’s a pretty special moment for everyone at Team Penske and everybody back at the shop, Roush Yates building our engines. This is a real big team moment.”

Despite coming up short by 0.071 seconds, McDowell kept his head up high. After all, he and Logano earned Ford Performance’s first Daytona 500 front row lockout since 2012 when Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle accomplished this feat.

It was all smiles for Michael McDowell and his No. 34 Love’s RV Stop Ford Mustang Dark Horse team at Daytona. (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)

“The feeling is awesome,” McDowell said. “This is the best that we have ever qualified down here. We’ve always had fast Ford Mustangs, but we really put an emphasis on seeing how much speed we could get out of it. We know that we can work on it Thursday and Friday and all those things. A pole is something that is on the bucket list this year to try and get done. I don’t have a Cup Series pole, so I thought we had a good shot at that one.

“Obviously, Joey got us there, but two Dark Horse Mustangs on the front row for the Daytona 500 is awesome. A big thanks to everybody at Ford Performance and Doug Yates and Roush Yates Engines. We know a lot has to do with all the hard work that they put in, but I’m just really proud of my guys. We put in a massive effort to try to come down here and have a lot of speed and we did, so it’s a good start to the weekend.”

In the meantime, Logano’s trademark smile has likely widened with his incredibly fast No. 22 mount. If he can keep out of trouble these next three days and nights, he will lead the field to the green flag for NASCAR’s biggest race of the regular season.

For the first time in 12 years, Ford Performance swept the Daytona 500 front row with Joey Logano and Michael McDowell leading the way. (Photo: Cornnell Chu |The Podium Finish)

“Anytime you walk into this area we’re standing here in Victory Lane, I don’t care if it’s qualifying or the Duel or the 500 — it’s always special,” Logano observed. “This is about the team. The driver doesn’t really do a whole bunch in qualifying here. I can’t take much credit today, so these guys did a tremendous job giving me a really fast Mustang.

“A couple Fords on the front row is something pretty special seeing those Mustangs up front here. It’s a pretty exciting start to Speedweek and hopefully tomorrow night we have a good one and we’ll be in the same spot.”

Daytona 500 Front Row Qualifying Results

Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 at Daytona Starting Lineup

Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 at Daytona Starting Lineup