DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. That may be the best way to describe how rookie Chase Elliot won the poll in DAYTONA 500 qualifying. Thirty years ago his father Bill Elliot was in the midst of winning three straight DAYTONA 500 poles.
Sunday, his son began his first season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a fast lap of 196.314 mph on the 2.5-mile DIS tri-oval, becoming the race’s youngest pole winner, at 20 years, two months and 17 days.
“This is a very, very cool day,” said Elliott, the 2014 champion of the NASCAR XFINITY Series. “I think the big thing is just the team. Daytona 500 qualifying is about the team guys and the effort they put into these cars. The DAYTONA 500 is about the team. This is a great way to start the season. This is a big day, but this is a long week. I’m just very honored and blessed to be with the group of guys that we have. I think it’s a special group. This entire team did such a good job on this car during this off-season. It’s awfully fast.”