DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 19, 2017) – Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s long-awaited return to NASCAR will come from the front row of the Daytona 500 after the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet recorded the second-fastest speed in both rounds of Sunday’s qualifying session.
Earnhardt was only bested by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott by a mere .002 seconds. For Earnhardt, this is his fourth front row start for the Great American Race after notching a pole in 2011 to go along runner-up efforts in 2003 and 2010.
The No. 88 will lead the field to the green flag in the second Duel Race Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway. No matter the result Thursday night, Earnhardt will start from the front row. But he is a five-time winner of Duel Races, including the past two seasons working with crew chief Greg Ives.