New Zealand's Shane van Gisbergen will start on the 13th row in his first bid to win Nascar's biggest race.
Van Gisbergen will roll off the line from 26th, on the outside of 2021 winner Michael McDowell, in the Daytona 500 on Sunday (Monday NZ Time), in his first full Nascar Cup Series season with Trackhouse Racing.
The 35-year-old Aucklander posted the 30th-best time in qualifying on Wednesday (Thursday NZT), after laying down the 14th-fastest time in the first practice session.
Van Gisbergen finished 14th in the second of the two Duel races at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday (Friday NZT) that determined the starting positions behind the front row (set after qualifying).
The three-time Supercars champion in Australia would have moved up further on the starting grid if not for a controversial caution flag for a last-lap, last-turn crash in his Duel race. The Giz avoided the multi-car wreck but the field was locked when the yellow flag came out.
Van Gisbergen is teamed with fellow full-time Trackhouse drivers, American Ryan Chastain and Mexican Daniel Suarez, and part-timer Brazilian former IndyCar champion Helio Castroneves in Daytona.
He is relatively inexperienced on oval tracks, especially super speedways like Daytona, with all of his four Nascar national-series (Cup and Xfinity) wins in the last two years coming on street/road courses.
The 67th running of the 'Great American Race' has been pushed forward due to expected inclement weather in Florida, with the green flag expected to drop at 2pm Sunday local time (8am Monday NZT).