List of Daytona 500 Pole Position Winners - Procedure

Procedure

The qualifying session for pole position is held before the Daytona 500 on the first Sunday of Speedweeks. Drivers compete individually, driving two consecutive timed laps. The single lap completed with the highest average speed is the recorded statistic. The fastest qualifier takes the pole position for the Daytona 500 and starts on the inside of the first row; the second fastest starts alongside him on the outside, referred to as the "outside pole." Both front row starters are locked into these starting positions.

Originally NASCAR did not limit qualifying to a single day, or single attempt; it offered a second round of qualifying for teams who wished to improve their qualifying times. Drivers and teams decided if they were content with their first attempt, and "stood on their time", or if they wanted to improve their chances by attempting a "second-round qualifying" attempt. If satisfied with the original attempt, the team was required to notify NASCAR within five minutes of the final practice sessions, and before the beginning of the "second-round qualifying" attempts. The second round of qualifying ended in 2001.

The two fastest qualifiers (the Daytona 500 pole winner and the "outside" pole winner) are also awarded the pole positions for the two Gatorade Duel qualifying races held the following Thursday. Drivers are ranked by their qualifying speed. Those who rank with an odd-numbered speed are assigned to the first qualifying race, and those with an even-numbered rank to the second race. Cars with the highest qualifying rank start the race in the front. The starting spots for the third through 39th positions are determined by the drivers' finishing position in the qualifying races. Each of the two qualifying races is 150-mile (240 km) long. The final starting position in the Daytona 500 (43rd overall) is reserved by NASCAR to allow one former NASCAR champion to start the race under the "champion's provisional" rule. Also known as the "Petty Rule", this rule was established in 1989 when NASCAR's winningest driver (Richard Petty) failed to qualify for an event at Richmond International Raceway.

Starting in 2005, NASCAR began guaranteeing that the cars that had finished in the top 35 in owners points during the previous season would be eligible to run in the Daytona 500, regardless of qualifying speed. The qualifying races now determine the relative starting position for these 35 drivers plus the starting positions for an additional seven to eight teams. The top 35 drivers, plus two non-top 35 drivers from each qualifier, start in the first 39 positions of the 500. The 40th, 41st, and 42nd starting positions are given to the fastest three cars based on qualifying speed, which have not already qualified. The 43rd starting position is awarded to the most recent previous NASCAR champion who attempted to qualify; it is given to the fastest car that hadn't qualified if all previous champions qualified into the field. In 2008, the qualifying competition became known as the "Coors Light Pole" when Coors replaced Budweiser as the primary sponsor. Budweiser's parent company, Anheuser Busch Corporation, had been sponsoring the race since 1979.