Briscoe gives Toyota its first Daytona 500 pole as Johnson and Truex also lock into NASCAR opener

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Chase Briscoe led a banner night for Toyota in qualifying for the Daytona 500 by winning the pole for NASCAR’s "Great American Race."

It is the first Daytona 500 pole for Briscoe, who moved to Joe Gibbs Racing this season when Stewart-Haas Racing closed at the end of 2024. His move to the No. 19 gave Toyota its first pole in NASCAR’s biggest race of the season.

"A great way to start our season. Unbelievable way to start off the year. Unbelievable way to start off with Toyota," said Briscoe. "To be able to be the guy to deliver them the first anything when they've already accomplished so much is pretty cool. To think I'm going to start on the front row or on the pole of the 'Great American Race' with ultimately the great American brand of (sponsor) Bass Pro Shops is unbelievable. Can't thank Coach Gibbs enough, the entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization.”

Briscoe’s lap of 182.745 mph held off a slew of Ford challengers. Former Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric qualified second in a Ford for Team Penske, which started from the pole last year with Joey Logano, who closed the year as NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Ford drivers claimed four of the top five spots in time trials, but only Briscoe and Cindric as the front row starters were locked in Wednesday night.

"A lot of fast Fords," said Cindric. "Pretty good to start on the front row with one of my good friends. All in all, a great box checked for the start of this week. I think every single part of this weekend is important to setting up with an opportunity to win this race on Sunday."

The only other drivers locked in during time trials were Toyota drivers Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr., who were not guaranteed entry but posted speeds fast enough to claim two of the four "open" spots in the race.

The remainder of the starting order is set Thursday night in a pair of qualifying races.

There are nine drivers entered for four open spots and Truex and Johnson claimed two of them in time trials. Johnson is a seven-time NASCAR champion, two-time Daytona 500 winner and member of the Hall of Fame. Truex is the 2017 Cup champion and in his first year of not racing NASCAR full-time.

"Both Jimmie and I were beneficiaries of their (Toyota's) hard work on their engines," Truex said.

Both would have been eligible to request the "world-class driver" provisional that guarantees entry as a 41st car to one driver who does not compete full-time in NASCAR and brings marketability and visibility to the biggest race of the season.

The provisional will go to four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves if he fails to race his way in Thursday night. If he takes the provisional, Trackhouse Racing will not receive any points or purse money, and the field will be 41 cars - the largest field since 43 cars was the standard in 2015.

Johnson said his Legacy Motor Club was unaware of the provisional until it was announced earlier this year - even though it was a new rule included in the charter agreement teams signed in September. The rule required a team to request the provisional 90 days before the event, and the rule was not publicly announced until after the deadline for the Daytona 500 had passed.

"We didn't know about it until the rule came out. Evidently, it was buried in the charter agreement that came out,” Johnson said earlier Wednesday. “But when the rule came out, I forget the time of the morning, three minutes later, we were on the phone with NASCAR and recognized it wasn't within the 90 day-window and we weren't eligible.

“We've had a lot of talks with everyone at NASCAR and I have a better understanding of the intent of the rule, and I would anticipate some changes following (Daytona) to better define and clarify that. When first read, our reaction wasn't great, but it is what it is and hopefully, we have a fast-enough car to get in."

He did, just off the speed of Truex, but it was enough to ensure the two former champions will race Sunday.

The drivers who must race their way in Thursday, seeking the two remaining spots, are Anthony Alfredo, Justin Allgaier, Corey LaJoie, B.J. McLeod, Chandler Smith and J.J. Yeley. If Castroneves races his way in, there will only be one open spot available.