Qualifying Results

The 2023 Daytona 500 is here! Qualifying and the Daytona Duels are complete, with Zach Michael, Tony Pizzaro and Ryan Heuser winning the thre preliminary events. Now comes the big show, with John Tharp and Lucas Racing dominating this event in the last four years. Rob Scarberry and Dakota Wilkins start inside the top-5 looking to crown their first Daytona 500 victory. Lucas Racing starts directly behind them in 6th and 7th, dominating the Superspeedway races during the past couple fo seasons. Despite this, Ryan Heuser still comes in as the favorite to win, with Tony Pizzaro, Rick Jackson, Zach Michael, Alex Crapser, John Battista and Johnny Reed Foley all at the top of the Vegas listings. Pizzaro and Heuser will lead the field to the green!

Winning is at the eye of the beholder. For drivers like Steven Inkman and Ken Joynt, just being in the field is a victory for the ages. For drivers like Dakota Wilkins and Chauncey Redmond Jr., making the show was only the first hurdle. Both drivers pulled off miraculous qualifying times, starting 5th and 8th on the grid respectively. Wilkins was among the top-drivers during the second Daytona Duel, and has a legitimate shot at winning the race. Ken Pettit looked to be another straggler after a devastating flip during the same event. The car was completely destroyed, forcing himself to use a re-decaled Rick Jackson backup car for qualifying. He was on top of the board in a miracle effort, gridding third for the 500! Bud Shootout Winner Zach Michael, Craig Lee, Tim McDonnell, John Tharp and Donald Stewart are also in backup cars after big crash. Tharp and Stewart put up a decent time despite the handicap, though Michael, Lee and McDonnell gridded 27th and worse. Look for them to persevere through the field despite the setback.

Friday, February 17th, 4:00 ET