Chase Elliott to Start on Pole Position for the Daytona Road Course Cup Race

With the Daytona 500 done and dusted, all eyes are now on the next race. Incidentally, the NASCAR paddock will remain at Daytona, but will switch to the road course layout. Obviously, this will bode well for Chase Elliott, who has built himself a reputation for being great at road courses.

To make matters even better, the #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver is starting on pole position. Starting right behind him is Daytona 500 winner, Michael McDowell. Taking up the second row are Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin respectively, with Kevin Harvick and Ryan Preece on Row 3.

Corey LaJoie, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, and Bubba Wallace complete the Top 10. Meanwhile, Joey Logano and Christopher Bell line up in 11th and 12th places. In all honesty, this could give Chase Elliott an advantage, as most of his rivals are a little farther behind. However, the drivers around him are not to be underestimated.

How does the grid stack up behind Chase Elliott?

Lining up on Row 7 are Cole Custer and Kyle Busch, with Brad Keselowski and Ricky Stenhouse Jr in 15th and 16th. Meanwhile, Martin Truex Jr is all the way down at a disappointing 21st place. After starting 2nd at the Daytona 500, William Byron has been bundled down to 24th place.

Aric Almirola and Ryan Blaney start in 27th and 28th places, respectively. Meanwhile, Matt DiBenedetto and Ryan Newman start in 32nd and 33rd places on the grid. After the high of scoring pole position at the Daytona 500, Alex Bowman will be terribly disappointed to start in 36th place.

As mentioned before, since this is a road course, Chase Elliott could be one of the favorites. This is largely because the #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver tends to excel in road course races. However, a win will not be guaranteed for the reigning champion, and he will have to fight for it.