Does winning Daytona 500 pole bode well for winning the race?
After capturing the pole with a blistering fast lap of 201.293 mph in last Sunday's final round of knockout qualifying, Jeff Gordon seemingly has every reason for optimism heading into the rest of Speedweeks and this Sunday's Daytona 500.
Gordon, who this weekend will make his 23rd and final start in The Great American Race, is one of just two drivers whose starting position on the 43-car grid is locked in (teammate Jimmie Johnson, who qualified second, is the other).
So while most others will have their starting positions -- and, in some cases, whether they make the race at all -- dictated by where they finish in one of Thursday night's two Budweiser Duel twin qualifying races, Gordon has no such concerns.
"We got to get through the 150s first," the four-time Sprint Cup Series champion said. "I'm looking forward to talking to the team and Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) about what our approach should be on that.
"But, I mean, I can't think of anything cooler than to start this season, the Daytona 500, my final Daytona 500, final full season on the pole. It's going to be pretty important for me to be on that pole when it all starts."
But if Gordon survives his Duel and actually does get to lead the field to the green on Sunday, how well does being the pole-sitter bode for him getting a victory in his final Daytona 500?
Gordon, a three-time Daytona 500 champion, won this race from the pole in 1999. His other victories -- in 1997 and 2005 -- came after starting sixth and 15th, respectively.
Prior to Gordon's 1999 triumph, the last driver to win the 500 after qualifying first was Bill Elliott in 1987. Elliott accomplished the same feat in 1985. The other drivers to leave with the coveted 500 winner's trophy after starting from the pole are basically a who's who list of NASCAR legends: Buddy Baker (1980), Cale Yarborough (1984 and 1968), Richard Petty (1966) and Fireball Roberts (1962).
"All I want to focus on is winning the Daytona 500," he said. "I'm just enjoying the ride, enjoying the moment.
"It's cool. I'm way less stressed than I've been in the past. Now that's going to intensify a little bit in the race. That's just me and my nature.
"But still there's just something about it where if you don't win, oh, well, it's not the end of the world. But, boy, if you can win it, what a storybook type of beginning to the season it would be."
