Jeff Gordon wins Daytona pole after frustrating qualifying session

Jeff Gordon celebrates his pole Saturday at Daytona. (Greg Engle)
Jeff Gordon celebrates his pole Saturday at Daytona. (Greg Engle)
Jeff Gordon celebrates his pole Saturday at Daytona. (Greg Engle)

In what he proclaims will be his last Daytona 500, Jeff Gordon will lead the field to the green next Sunday for the Great American Race. Gordon snatched the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole on the final lap of a three round qualifying Sunday session that featured a great many cars waiting on pit road.

Gordon’s pole speed of 201.293 marked the first time since 1987 that a pole speed at Daytona was over 200 miles per hour. That was set by Bill Elliott who ran a lap of 210 in the era before restrictor plates slowed cars down on the 2.5 mile speedway.

“Whew, that feels good that is awesome,” Gordon said. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.