Devon HenryDAYTONA BEACH – For the seventh consecutive year, an Arizona native will be on the front row to start The Great American Race.
Glendale native, Michael McDowell put down a blistering qualifying lap to earn the second-place starting position in Sunday’s 66th running of the Daytona 500. This is the Front Row Motorsports driver’s best career qualifying position and sets him up for a chance to win his second career Daytona 500. McDowell won The Great American Race in 2021 and followed that up with a road course victory at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2023.
If McDowell can claim the checkered flag on Sunday, he would become just the 13th driver in NASCAR history to win the most prestigious race in NASCAR twice. He will start alongside Team Penkse’s Joey Logano. all other drivers will determine their fate through the Duels at Daytona on Thursday night to set the starting order for spots 3rd-40th in the Daytona 500.
The is McDowell’s first front row start in the Daytona 500, the other six years of front rows starts by an Arizona came from Hendrick Motorsports driver and Tucson native, Alex Bowman. The 30-year-old will start 9th in Duel 1. Phoenix native, JJ Yeley is racing for an “open” car with NY Racing and is one of four cars not locked into the Daytona 500. Yeley starts 21st in Duel 1 and must beat Anthony Alfredo and Jimmie Johnson in that Duel to qualify for the Daytona 500.
The Duels will begin Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1. The 66th running of the Daytona 500 takes the green at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
The series returns to Phoenix Raceway for the Shriners Children’s 500 weekend March 8-10, tickets are still available for all three days of action. Plus, NASCAR Championship Weekend returns to Phoenix Raceway to crown four champions in three days November 8-10.
