List of Daytona 500 pole position winners

The driver to complete the fastest single lap in the final of three rounds in the knockout qualifying session around the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) high-banked tri-oval superspeedway earns the pole position.

[1] Bill Elliott set the pole position qualifying record on February 9, 1987, when he navigated around the circuit with a 42.782-second lap, which is an average speed of 210.364 miles per hour (338.548 km/h).

[3] From 1988 to 2018, NASCAR required teams to install a restrictor plate between the throttle body and the engine.

This rule was enacted as an effort to slow the cars speed in response to an accident in which fans suffered minor injuries when Bobby Allison's car blew a tire and crashed at over 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) during a race at Talladega Superspeedway in 1987.

[4] Depending upon the sponsor, era, or a specific year, the qualifying races have been referred to as the "Duels" or the "Twins".

[9] The starting spots for the third through 32nd positions are determined by the drivers' finishing position in the qualifying races, with only the top 15 drivers' results, excluding the pole sitter in each race, advancing to the feature.

[15] Budweiser's parent company, Anheuser Busch Corporation, had been sponsoring the award since 1979,[15] and would return in that role midway during the 2018 season after Coors did not renew their agreement as the Pole Award sponsor.

Engine size and technology, along with increased aerodynamic styling changes,[21] brought speeds to over 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) at some of the larger superspeedways.

[22] In an effort to reduce the escalating costs of developing faster racing equipment, increased horsepower, and the lack of parity in competition, NASCAR implemented several restrictions for the 1971 season,[21][23] attempting to reduce speed by two methods.

[24] At the beginning of the 1971 season, NASCAR limited an engine's cubic inch displacement.

[22] At the time, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. stated: Special cars, including the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler, Ford Talladega, Dodge Daytona, Dodge Charger 500, and Plymouth Superbird shall be limited to a maximum engine size of 305 cubic inches.Corporate sponsors purchased naming rights to qualifying races; between 1982 and 1984, Uno cards was the title sponsor for the "Uno Twin 125's" qualifying events.

Starting in 2016 CanAm took over sponsorship of the races,[6] followed by Gander RV in 2019[25] and Bluegreen Vacations since 2020.

[27] In August 2009, NASCAR announced that it would reschedule the 2010 opening round of qualifying to avoid a conflict with the NFL Super Bowl.

[28] The events that determine the top two starters for the Daytona 500 were rescheduled after the NFL moved the Super Bowl day one week to February 7, 2010.

(They) can now enjoy a unique racing triple-header as well as all the festivities surrounding the Super Bowl the following day.In 2014, NASCAR adopted, starting with the second race of the year in Phoenix, a Formula One-style knockout qualifying system.

This format was used at the Daytona 500 for the first time in 2015, but was soon abandoned for restrictor plate races after a series of incidents taking place during qualifying.

CBS would continue to broadcast portions of races for the next 18 years, along with ABC and NBC.