Gilliland Wins Pole at Daytona for the Coke Zero 400

Credit:  Getty Images for NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - RIS - Although the drivers only got through one session of NASCAR's Knockout Qualifying procedure, the winner was a surprise, something that isn't new to Front Row Racing.  This time it was David Gilliland.  Gilliland by virtue of having the fastest time, ended up on the pole for Saturday night's race.  Even so, Gilliland wasn't praising his car or the track where the race will be held.

"It's uncontrolled chaos out there," Gilliland said Friday after landing the pole

It was the first time for the qualifying procedure at Daytona International Speedway, and now it looks like it won't be attempted again until next July.  The field is set for February's Daytona 500 on single-car qualifying and two qualifying races with only the front row determined by the single car speeds.

Gilliland's top speed during a hectic, cat-and-mouse qualifying session was 199.322 mph, earning him his third Sprint Cup pole and first since landing the top spot for the 2007 Daytona 500. All three of his poles have been at restrictor-plate races, with the first one coming at Talladega in 2006.

"Front Row Motorsports, our strong point is definitely speedway racing," said Gilliland, who finished third in the 2011 Daytona 500. "It is something that's circled on our calendar from the start of the year. We put a lot of emphasis on it. The restrictor-plate tracks are good equalizers. David Ragan and I both have good enough cars to win, and that is an exciting feeling. It's something we don't have every week."

The top 24 drivers Friday in the first knockout stage were supposed to advance to the next round, but rain prompted NASCAR to cancel the final two sessions.

Reed Sorenson qualified second, followed by Landon Cassill, Bobby Labonte and Jimmie Johnson. Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will attempt to become the sixth driver to sweep both annual races at NASCAR's most famous track Saturday, was seventh.

All the talk during and after was about how the qualifying session shook out and it produced some hairy moments as groups of cars slowed to a crawl around the 2 1/2-mile superspeedway. The small packs — most of them formed by teammates — were hoping to pull behind bigger groups to produce fast laps. But no one was eager to lead the way.

"It's a mess," Earnhardt said. "You have to be in the very back and try to get a big tow. I ain't ever seen anything like it. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen."

Risky, too. Several cars turned down pit road to get away from the disorder. But the most common concern was the speed differences, with some packs creeping along while others ran full speed.

"It was really wild and it was pretty dangerous," Matt Kenseth said. "There's car doing 80 and there were cars doing 200 and nobody wanted to go. Everybody wanted to be in the back of the pack and try to catch the front to get a (fast) lap, so it was pretty chaotic."

Similar qualifying took place at Talladega in May, when teammates stuck together in hopes of besting the field. But drivers clearly tweaked some things from those sessions.

"There was just so much going on out there and it's a wonder we haven't wadded a bunch of cars up," Brian Vickers said. "A lot of guys running even slower than at Talladega and then some guys even taking chances on blocking the field, which was what really almost caused a few wrecks."

Penske Racing teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano were among those who did not advance past the first stage. Danica Patrick, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson, Jamie McMurray, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch also did not get to the second knockout round.

Joe Nemechek was the only driver who did not qualify for Saturday's 400-mile race.

"It's just about being lucky as to who can make it through and who gets the right run," McMurray said. "It's just so crazy that everyone pulls out and doesn't go and then stops. It is what it is. Everyone has the same conditions. It just doesn't feel like racing ... because half the time people are running 40 mph. I don't even really know what to say because it's so messed up that I can't explain it."

Saturday night's race will be broadcast on the MRN Radio network and the TNT cable television network.

Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
Row 1: 1 38 David Gilliland Love's Travel Stops Ford 45.153 199.322
2 36 Reed Sorenson Golden Corral Chevrolet 45.176 199.221
Row 2: 3 40 Landon Cassill(i) Newtown Building Supplies Chevrolet 45.182 199.194
4 33 Bobby Labonte Thunder Coal Chevrolet 45.233 198.970
Row 3: 5 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Patriotic Chevrolet 45.274 198.790
6 20 Matt Kenseth Home Depot Husky Toyota 45.277 198.776
Row 4: 7 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard Chevrolet 45.295 198.697
8 34 David Ragan Farm Rich Ford 45.298 198.684
Row 5: 9 24 Jeff Gordon Pepsi Real Sugar Chevrolet 45.303 198.662
10 16 Greg Biffle 3M Stars & Stripes Ford 45.323 198.575
Row 6: 11 99 Carl Edwards Subway Ford 45.333 198.531
12 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Ducks Unlimited Chevrolet 45.346 198.474
Row 7: 13 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet 45.347 198.470
14 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet 45.369 198.373
Row 8: 15 43 Aric Almirola United States Air Force Ford 45.401 198.234
16 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Cargill/Winn-Dixie Ford 45.402 198.229
Row 9: 17 26 Cole Whitt # Al's Liner/Scorpion Window Film Toyota 45.428 198.116
18 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWalt/Wounded Warrior Project Ford 45.431 198.103
Row 10: 19 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Chevrolet 45.439 198.068
20 31 Ryan Newman WIX Filters Chevrolet 45.441 198.059
Row 11: 21 27 Paul Menard Splash/Menards Chevrolet 45.442 198.055
22 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 45.445 198.042
Row 12: 23 3 Austin Dillon # Bass Pro Shops/NRA Museum Chevrolet 45.447 198.033
24 47 AJ Allmendinger Scott Products Chevrolet 45.451 198.015
Row 13: 25 21 Trevor Bayne(i) Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford 45.456 197.994
26 2 Brad Keselowski Alliance Truck Parts Ford 45.489 197.850
Row 14: 27 95 Michael McDowell JPO Absorbents Ford 45.496 197.820
28 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 45.514 197.741
Row 15: 29 10 Danica Patrick Florida Lottery/GoDaddy Chevrolet 45.518 197.724
30 55 Brian Vickers Aaron's/FSU National Championship Toyota 45.601 197.364
Row 16: 31 51 Justin Allgaier # AccuDoc Solutions Chevrolet 45.622 197.273
32 7 Michael Annett # Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet 45.635 197.217
Row 17: 33 98 Josh Wise Curb Records/Lee Brice Ford 45.650 197.152
34 15 Clint Bowyer RK Motors Charlotte Toyota 45.691 196.975
Row 18: 35 42 Kyle Larson # Target Chevrolet 45.757 196.691
36 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna Chevrolet 45.764 196.661
Row 19: 37 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota Owner Points
38 32 Terry Labonte C&J Energy Services Ford Owner Points
Row 20: 39 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota Owner Points
40 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet Owner Points
Row 21: 41 66 Michael Waltrip RoyalTeakCollection.com Toyota Owner Points
42 83 Ryan Truex # VooDooBBQ/ArmedForcesMotorsports Toyota Owner Points
Row 22: 43 23 Alex Bowman # Dr. Pepper Toyota Owner Points
Did Not Qualify: # 29 Joe Nemechek(i).
Manufacturer Starting Lineup DNQs Manufacturer Starting Lineup DNQs
Chevrolet 21 0 Toyota 9 1
Ford 13 0
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series