Daytona 500 Pole Winners
| Year of event |
Driver |
Car make |
Average speed |
Restrictor plate |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Welborn, BobBob Welborn | Chevrolet | 140.121 mph (225.503 km/h) | Not fastest qualifier (see below); Entire lineup set by Qualifying races | |
| 1960 | Owens, CottonCotton Owens | Pontiac | 149.892 mph (241.228 km/h) | Not fastest qualifier (see below) | |
| 1961 | Roberts, FireballFireball Roberts | 155.709 mph (250.589 km/h) | Won Qualifying race | ||
| 1962 | 156.999 mph (252.665 km/h) | Won Qualifying race; won Daytona 500 | |||
| 1963 | 160.943 mph (259.013 km/h) | Not fastest qualifier (see below) | |||
| 1964 | Goldsmith, PaulPaul Goldsmith | Plymouth | 174.910 mph (281.490 km/h) | Track record at time (see below) | |
| 1965 | Dieringer, DarelDarel Dieringer | Mercury | 171.151 mph (275.441 km/h) | Also won Qualifying race | |
| 1966 | Petty, RichardRichard Petty | Plymouth | 175.165 mph (281.901 km/h) | Won Daytona 500 | |
| 1967 | Turner, CurtisCurtis Turner | Chevrolet | 180.831 mph (291.019 km/h) | ||
| 1968 | Yarborough, CaleCale Yarborough | Mercury | 189.222 mph (304.523 km/h) | Won Daytona 500 | |
| 1969 | Baker, BuddyBuddy Baker (1) | Dodge | 188.901 mph (304.007 km/h) | Not fastest qualifier (see below) | |
| 1970 | Yarborough, CaleCale Yarborough (2) | Mercury | 194.015 mph (312.237 km/h) | ||
| 1971 | Foyt, A. J.A. J. Foyt | 182.744 mph (294.098 km/h) | |||
| 1972 | Isaac, BobbyBobby Isaac | Dodge | 186.632 mph (300.355 km/h) | ||
| 1973 | Baker, BuddyBuddy Baker (2) | 185.662 mph (298.794 km/h) | |||
| 1974 | Pearson, DavidDavid Pearson | Chevrolet | 185.017 mph (297.756 km/h) | ||
| 1975 | Allison, DonnieDonnie Allison (1) | 185.827 mph (299.060 km/h) | |||
| 1976 | Stott, RamoRamo Stott | 183.456 mph (295.244 km/h) | Not fastest qualifier (see below) | ||
| 1977 | Allison, DonnieDonnie Allison (2) | 188.048 mph (302.634 km/h) | |||
| 1978 | Yarborough, CaleCale Yarborough (3) | Oldsmobile | 187.536 mph (301.810 km/h) | ||
| 1979 | Baker, BuddyBuddy Baker | 196.049 mph (315.510 km/h) | |||
| 1980 | 194.099 mph (312.372 km/h) | Not fastest qualifier (see below); Won Daytona 500 | |||
| 1981 | Allison, BobbyBobby Allison | Pontiac | 194.624 mph (313.217 km/h) | ||
| 1982 | Parsons, BennyBenny Parsons | 196.317 mph (315.942 km/h) | |||
| 1983 | Rudd, RickyRicky Rudd | Chevrolet | 198.864 mph (320.041 km/h) | Not fastest qualifier (see below) | |
| 1984 | Yarborough, CaleCale Yarborough (4) | 201.848 mph (324.843 km/h) | Won Daytona 500 | ||
| 1985 | Elliott, BillBill Elliott | Ford | 205.114 mph (330.099 km/h) | Won Daytona 500 | |
| 1986 | 205.039 mph (329.978 km/h) | ||||
| 1987 | 210.364 mph (338.548 km/h) | All-time track record; Won Daytona 500 | |||
| 1988 | Schrader, KenKen Schrader | Chevrolet | 193.823 mph (311.928 km/h) | 1.0001 inch plate | |
| 1989 | 196.996 mph (317.034 km/h) | 1.0001 inch plate | Also won Qualifying race #1 | ||
| 1990 | 196.515 mph (316.260 km/h) | 0.937515/16 inch plate | Geoff Bodine started on pole (see below) | ||
| 1991 | Allison, DaveyDavey Allison | Ford | 195.955 mph (315.359 km/h) | 0.9062529/32 inch plate | |
| 1992 | Marlin, SterlingSterling Marlin | 192.213 mph (309.337 km/h) | 0.8757/8 inch plate | ||
| 1993 | Petty, KyleKyle Petty | Pontiac | 189.426 mph (304.852 km/h) | 0.8757/8 inch plate | |
| 1994 | Allen, Jr., LoyLoy Allen, Jr. | Ford | 190.158 mph (306.030 km/h) | 0.8757/8 inch plate | Allen was the first rookie pole winner |
| 1995 | Jarrett, DaleDale Jarrett (1) | 196.498 mph (316.233 km/h) | 0.8757/8 inch plate | ||
| 1996 | Earnhardt, DaleDale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 189.510 mph (304.987 km/h) | 0.9062529/32 inch plate | |
| 1997 | Skinner, MikeMike Skinner | 189.813 mph (305.474 km/h) | 0.9062529/32 inch plate | ||
| 1998 | Labonte, BobbyBobby Labonte | Pontiac | 192.415 mph (309.662 km/h) | 0.9062529/32 inch plate | |
| 1999 | Gordon, JeffJeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 195.067 mph (313.930 km/h) | 0.9062529/32 inch plate | Won Daytona 500 |
| 2000 | Jarrett, DaleDale Jarrett (2) | Ford | 191.091 mph (307.531 km/h) | 0.9062529/32 inch plate | Won Daytona 500 |
| 2001 | Elliott, BillBill Elliott (4) | Dodge | 183.565 mph (295.419 km/h) | 0.937515/16 inch plate | |
| 2002 | Johnson, JimmieJimmie Johnson (1) | Chevrolet | 185.831 mph (299.066 km/h) | 0.937515/16 inch plate | Johnson's rookie season, having run only three races in 2001 |
| 2003 | Green, JeffJeff Green | 186.606 mph (300.313 km/h) | 0.8757/8 inch plate | ||
| 2004 | Biffle, GregGreg Biffle | Ford | 188.387 mph (303.179 km/h) | 0.9062529/32 inch plate | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. started first and won race (see below) |
| 2005 | Jarrett, DaleDale Jarrett (3) | 188.312 mph (303.059 km/h) | 0.89062557/64 inch plate | ||
| 2006 | Burton, JeffJeff Burton | Chevrolet | 189.151 mph (304.409 km/h) | 0.89062557/64 inch plate | |
| 2007 | Gilliland, DavidDavid Gilliland | Ford | 186.320 mph (299.853 km/h) | 0.8757/8 inch plate | |
| 2008 | Johnson, JimmieJimmie Johnson (2) | Chevrolet | 187.075 mph (301.068 km/h) | 0.9687531/32 inch plate | |
| 2009 | Truex, Jr., MartinMartin Truex, Jr. | 188.001 mph (302.558 km/h) | 0.9687531/32 inch plate | ||
| 2010 | Martin, MarkMark Martin | 191.188 mph (307.687 km/h) | 0.98437563/64 inch plate | ||
| 2011 | Earnhardt, Jr., DaleDale Earnhardt, Jr. | 186.089 mph (299.481 km/h) | 0.9062529/32 inch plate | Kurt Busch started first. | |
| 2012 | Edwards, CarlCarl Edwards | Ford | 194.738 mph (313.400 km/h) | ||
| 2013 | Patrick, DanicaDanica Patrick | Chevrolet | 196.434 mph (316.130 km/h) | First woman to win a pole in the Daytona 500 |
Read more about this topic: List Of Daytona 500 Pole Position Winners
Famous quotes containing the words pole and/or winners:
“O, withered is the garland of the war,
The soldier’s pole is fallen!”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The two real political parties in America are the Winners and the Losers. The people don’t acknowledge this. They claim membership in two imaginary parties, the Republicans and the Democrats, instead.”
—Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (b. 1922)