Eric Gilbert
RFR will start one-two in its 25th running of the Daytona 500; Team qualifies 3 Fords in top 8
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 19, 2012) – Roush Fenway added to its “25 Winning Years” legacy, claiming both front row starting positions in Sunday’s Daytona 500 Pole Day at Daytona International Speedway. Carl Edwards covered the 2.5-mile oval at the World Center of Racing in 46.216 seconds (194.738 mph) to set the pace for the field, just edging teammate Greg Biffle (46.371) for the pole. The RFR duo will start one-two in next Sunday’s ‘Great American Race.’
“The team did great today,” said team co-owner Jack Roush. “Doug Yates and the guys in the engine shop did a nice job. Robbie Reiser (RFR general manager) and the folks in the chassis and body shops built nice cars that the teams prepared well. We worked all winter getting ready for this. It’s just the beginning. We hope we can put it together for the Twins and for the (Daytona) 500 next Sunday…at least we have a week to celebrate this pole.”
Making his first career Daytona 500 start, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. qualified eighth, while former Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth qualified 16th. Roush Fenway’s Trevor Bayne, driving the Wood Brother’s No. 21 Ford, qualified ninth, just behind Stenhouse.
The event will mark the first all-Roush Fenway front row for the Daytona 500, as the team moves into its 25th anniversary season. It is the second pole for Roush Fenway racing at the Daytona 500, with Biffle doing the honors in 2004.
The run continued Roush Fenway’s strong start to the 2012 Speedweeks, with RFR cars leading both days of practice, Biffle leading a race-high 17 laps in Saturday night’s Bud Shootout and Roush Fenway sweeping the front row in today’s qualifying session.
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Daytona 500 results: The finishing order of the 2023 NASCAR Cup opener
Logano the NASCAR Daytona 500 runner-up: "Second is the worst"
Stenhouse ends NASCAR winless streak with shock Daytona 500 win
Chris Buescher sees a chance to win "every week" at RFK
Buescher: Vegas a "good test to see where we stack up"
'Evolution' of RFK Racing well underway under Keselowski
Blaney "guilty as charged" in run-in with Preece at Texas
IndyCar rolling out new version of aeroscreen for Long Beach
Why MotoGP’s COTA thriller was just what Liberty wanted to see
Why tough love has allowed Fourmaux to reach new WRC heights
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments