Daytona 500 2014: Analyzing Qualifying Results for the Great American Race

It's been a long time since the No. 3 car graced the Daytona 500 stage. This time, it will be at the front of the pack.

Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing caused a stir late last year after it was revealed that he would be bringing the No. 3 car back to the NASCAR Sprint Cup stage. Now the 23-year-old rookie has the Daytona 500 pole award in his first race in the famed black ride.

NASCAR on Fox provided a look at Dillon crossing the finish line after taking the pole:

Dillon knows the importance of the car and told Krista Voda of Fox that it meant a lot for fans of Dale Earnhardt, according to NASCAR on Fox:

While Dillon was the big story on Sunday, teammate Martin Truex Jr. clinched not only a spot in the field but also a place right alongside Dillon on the front row as the No. 2 qualifier.

With both earning their right to race in the Daytona 500, here is a look at the full table of results and a breakdown of what Sunday's final leaderboard means for the race.

Position	Car	Driver	Team	Time	Speed
1)	3	Austin Dillon	DOW Chevrolet	45.914	196.019
2)	78	Martin Truex Jr.	Furniture Row Chevrolet	45.953	195.852
3)	16	Greg Biffle	3M Ford	45.961	195.818
4)	99	Carl Edwards	Fastenal Ford	45.986	195.712
5)	31	Ryan Newman	Caterpillar Chevrolet	45.987	195.707
6)	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Ford	46.084	195.296
7)	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	National Guard Chevrolet	46.104	195.211
8)	24	Jeff Gordon	Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet	46.144	195.042
9)	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Nationwide Insurance Ford	46.153	195.004
10)	27	Paul Menard	Peak/Menards Chevrolet	46.173	194.919
11)	9	Marcos Ambrose	Stanley Ford	46.179	194.894
12)	33	Brian Scott	Whitetail Chevrolet	46.207	194.776
13)	43	Aric Almirola	Smithfield Ford	46.235	194.658
14)	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's Chevrolet	46.24	194.637
15)	22	Joey Logano	Shell Pennzoil Ford	46.253	194.582
16)	13	Casey Mears	GEICO Chevrolet	46.253	194.582
17)	20	Matt Kenseth	Dollar General Toyota	46.255	194.574
18)	7	Michael Annett	Pilot/Flying J Travel Centers Chevrolet	46.255	194.574
19)	5	Kasey Kahne	Farmers Insurance Chevrolet	46.262	194.544
20)	15	Clint Bowyer	5-hour Energy Toyota	46.267	194.523
21)	18	Kyle Busch	M&M's Toyota	46.272	194.502
22)	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Express Toyota	46.278	194.477
23)	4	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser Chevrolet	46.291	194.422
24)	42	Kyle Larson	Target Chevrolet	46.294	194.41
25)	10	Danica Patrick	GoDaddy Chevrolet	46.301	194.38
26)	21	Trevor Bayne	Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford	46.312	194.334
27)	47	AJ Allmendinger	Kroger/USO Chevrolet	46.366	194.108
28)	41	Kurt Busch	Haas Automation Chevrolet	46.373	194.078
29)	36	Reed Sorenson	Golden Corral Chevrolet	46.376	194.066
30)	51	Justin Allgaier	Brandt Professional Agriculture Chevrolet	46.436	193.815
31)	38	David Gilliland	Love's Travel Stops Ford	46.455	193.736
32)	40	Landon Cassill	Hillman Racing Chevrolet	46.456	193.732
33)	30	Parker Kligerman	Swan Energy Toyota	46.489	193.594
34)	66	Michael Waltrip	BlueDEF/AAA Toyota	46.529	193.428
35)	14	Tony Stewart	Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet	46.544	193.365
36)	35	Eric McClure	Hefty Ultimate/Reynolds Wrap Ford	46.655	192.905
37)	55	Brian Vickers	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota	46.681	192.798
38)	1	Jamie McMurray	McDonald's Chevrolet	46.706	192.695
39)	26	Cole Whitt	Speed Stick Gear Toyota	46.744	192.538
40)	34	David Ragan	CSX - Play It Safe Ford	46.795	192.328
41)	95	Michael McDowell	K-Love Ford	46.804	192.291
42)	32	Terry Labonte	C&J Energy Services Ford	46.842	192.135
43)	98	Josh Wise	Curb Records Ford	46.86	192.061
44)	52	Bobby Labonte	Phoenix Construction Chevrolet	46.999	191.493
45)	87	Joe Nemechek	300 Rise of an Empire Toyota	47.249	190.48
46)	83	Ryan Truex	Borla Exhaust Toyota	47.282	190.347
47)	23	Alex Bowman	Dr.Pepper Toyota	47.447	189.685
48)	93	Morgan Shepherd	SupportMilitary.org Toyota	47.483	189.542
49)	77	Dave Blaney	Plinker Arms Ford	N/A	N/A

Breakdown of Daytona 500 Qualifying

It was believed for a long time that after Dale Earnhardt passed away on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, the No. 3 car would never appear in another NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

While Dillon, the grandson of car owner Richard Childress, may be just a rookie, he is already proving why he was given the honor of driving the famous car.

NASCAR fan and former Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones congratulated the young driver on Twitter:

A rookie winning the pole certainly isn't a normal occurrence, but young drivers have had a lot of success at the race in recent memory. Danica Patrick won the pole last season, and Trevor Bayne won his first Sprint Cup race in the 2011 Daytona 500.

Dillon's success on the track was due in large part, he said, to chief engine builder Danny Lawrence, who was celebrating a birthday on Sunday.

The 23-year-old spoke about Lawrence and the engine he was given during qualifying, according to Reid Spencer of NASCAR.com:

"

We got him a 1-2 start at Daytona, so this is pretty awesome. You just try and stay focused, because everyone wants to see this number perform well. That's what my goals are -- to stay focused.

"

His grandfather also added his own thoughts, according to Reid, saying, "We wanted to put on a good show with the 3, and I couldn't be prouder of everybody. (The pressure) is always on when you've got grandsons racing."

Another one of those famed Childress engines also helped Truex Jr. qualify for the field with the second-fastest time around the track.

Though he didn't claim the top spot in the Great American Race, Truex Jr. says he's happy with the finish and having a guaranteed spot, according to NASCAR on Fox:

As many fans of NASCAR already knew coming in, the Daytona 500 qualifying event only guarantees two spots in the field for those involved. For every other driver involved, claiming one of the top-15 spots in the Budweiser Duels will solidify a place in the field for the 500.

Tom Jensen of Fox Sports gave fans a look at the two fields for the Duels following qualifying:

Both fields are particularly interesting thanks to the depth in NASCAR, making both races intriguing for fans of some of the most popular drivers.

With Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart in the first race, they will all be competing with pole-sitter Dillon to claim the top spot.

As for the second race, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski and last year's winner Jimmie Johnson will start in the top 10 looking to earn placement in the field.

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Over the past five seasons, Busch has won one of the Duels twice, including last season when he and Harvick took the wins. With both having success in recent memory, fans can expect a good showing from them.

But with the Childress engines being the story thus far, it would be ironic to see Harvick win another Duel in his first try with Stewart Haas Racing.

Gordon has the most wins in the Duels among current drivers and could once again find himself in Victory Lane at Daytona on Thursday night. Outside of Gordon, Stewart and Earnhardt Jr. sit at second in Duel wins with three, making them other favorites to claim the win in one of the two races.

With Dillon and Truex Jr. finishing at the top of the field, every other driver qualifying will get a second chance to make the race during the Budweiser Duels on Thursday night.

While fans might not be sold on the idea of the No. 3 car on the track in Sprint Cup, it returns to its rightful place at the top of the field.

Now it's up to Dillon to keep it there.

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