Larson pipped 2021 poleman and Hendrick team-mate Alex Bowman to secure top spot for the 2022 season opener, the first points-scoring round of NASCAR’s Next-Gen era.
Larson’s average lap speed in the final round was 181.159 mph – the fastest lap recorded in both rounds, after he’d been second fastest in the first runs.
His pole is the eighth consecutive Daytona 500 that a team powered by a Hendrick engine has started on the pole, and the ninth of the last 10. However, a Hendrick driver hasn’t won the 500 since 2014 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored an emotional victory.
“You’re always really proud of your team anytime you win a pole here because it has the littlest to do with us drivers,” Larson said.
“Just a huge thank you to the engine shop at Hendrick Motorsports; everybody who’s played a part in touching these vehicles, whether it be on the computer or hands-on.
“It’s awesome, the speed in our Chevy. I believe it’s the beginning of a really good…
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