Update: Kyle Busch’s belief in a conspiracy theory to put the 88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 3 of Austin Dillon was half right. Dillon earns the pole, with a surprising effort that puts Martin Truex Jr. on the outside pole. Meanwhile, after sitting atop the speed charts for much of the session, Earnhardt fell to just seventh-fastest in his qualifying effort.
Whether you like him or not, Kyle Busch is never afraid to speak his mind — and did he ever during front row qualifying Sunday for next Sunday’s 56th Daytona 500.
When asked by Fox Sports anchor Chris Myers whether he thought Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s early pole-setting speed of 195.211 mph was going to hold up, Kyle Busch was … well, Kyle Busch.
“I don’t know, you know,” Busch said. “People do believe in conspiracy theories and whether the 88 and the 3 (driven by rookie Austin Dillon) are going to sit on the front row together, who’s going to be the pole sitter, we’re not sure. We’ll find out.”
“Oh boy,” Myers said with an uncomfortable laugh. “We haven’t even gone there but we know exactly what he’s talking about, don’t we?”
To which analyst and two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip remarked, “I’ve heard that.”
Later in the broadcast, analyst Jeff Hammond caught up with Dillon and asked “Looking up at that leaderboard, how cool would it be to have that No. 3 alongside Dale Earnhardt Jr. in that No. 88?”
With teammates Ryan Newman still to make his qualifying run and Paul Menard being second to Earnhardt on the speed charts, Dillon replied, “I think it would be really special, but hopefully the RCR cars can take over the front row, for sure. That’d be cool. I’ve got Newman right here with me and Paul’s in second. It would be really special, though. … Our Dow Chevrolet’s fast. Hopefully we can put it where it deserves.”
As it turned out, though, the 88 and 3 will not be on the front row. Greg Biffle spoiled those plans with his qualifying effort, knocking Earnhardt off the pole with a very stout speed of 195.818 mph. Martin Truex Jr. then knocked Biffle off the front row, making it Dillon and Truex at the head of the pack for next Sunday’s Daytona 500.
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