Younsters to start up front at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – William Byron put Hendrick Motorsports in a familiar position: on the pole for the Daytona 500. His bigger goal is to make the starting spot pay dividends for the NASCAR powerhouse.

The 21-year-old Byron and 25-year-old teammate Alex Bowman locked in the front row for Sunday's race during qualifying laps Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. They comprise the youngest front row in Daytona 500 history.

"To have them on top of each other means the organization did a heck of a job," team owner Rick Hendrick said. "This is the deal to sit on the pole at Daytona."

However, the last pole-sitter to win the Daytona 500 was Dale Jarrett in 2000. The past four — Hendrick's Jeff Gordon, Chase Elliott (twice) and Bowman — have failed to notch a top-10 finish.

Byron and Bowman edged the other two Hendrick drivers: seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and fan favorite Chase Elliott.

"That's a pretty amazing feat, I feel," said longtime Hendrick crew chief Chad Knaus, who is entering his first season with Byron after 18 years with Johnson.

Byron reached a top speed of 194.304 miles per hour in the final round of qualifying. Bowman was at 194.153.

The rest of the 40-car lineup will be set by two qualifying races Thursday, and most of the field is already determined. Joey Gase, Ryan Truex, Parker Kligerman and Brandan Gaughan have to race their way into the 500. Two will make it, two won't.

Jimmie Johnson triggered a wreck that nearly wiped out the 20-car field at Daytona and zipped to the lead to win the rain-shortened exhibition Clash.

The seven-time Cup Series champion failed to win a race for the first time in his career in 2018, but a dose of aggression put him back in Victory Lane during the opening weekend of Speedweeks.

Paul Menard led 51 laps and controlled the race, interrupted three times by rain. With more rain looming, Johnson dipped low and tried to side-draft Menard, but Johnson turned Menard and started a chain-reaction accident that left cars sideways and smoking behind the No. 48 Chevrolet.