Rookie Driver Becomes First Woman to Win a Sprint Cup Series Pole; Gordon Secures Outside Pole
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Danica Patrick made NASCAR history on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway by winning the pole for the 55th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24.
Patrick, driving the No. 10 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, turned a fast lap of 196.434 mph around the 2.5-mile tri-oval to become the first woman to win a pole for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event.
“It’s really amazing how much effort is put into a qualifying car for Daytona and really only the front row is what sticks for Sunday,” Patrick said. “It’s nice that all that hard work can pay off and that we can give ourselves that opportunity to lead the pack down into the tri-oval for the green flag of the Daytona 500.”
Patrick’s pole tops the previous best starting position for a female in the Daytona 500, which was 18th by Janet Guthrie in 1980. She is also the first rookie to win the Daytona 500 pole since Jimmie Johnson in 2002.
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