Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a surprise prediction for who will win the Daytona 500 pole on Friday during qualifying.
Daytona 500 qualifying for the front row takes place on Friday. Ahead of the big day to determine who will win the first pole of the year and who will start in second, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a surprise prediction for who he thinks will win the first pole position of 2017.
Who wins #Daytona500 pole this year? If it ain't an HMS car my money is on @Daniel_SuarezG
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) February 13, 2017
Daniel Suarez is of the new drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2017. He won NASCAR XFINITY Series rookie of the year honors in 2015 before winning the series title last year. As a result of his performance, Suarez is making the jump to the Cup Series in 2017 as the replacement for Carl Edwards. Surprisingly, Edwards announced he was stepping away from NASCAR after the 2016 season.
Suarez noticed Earnhardt Jr.’s tweet rather quickly, which isn’t too surprising given he was mentioned by the racing legend. The rookie driver took some time to show his appreciation of Earnhardt’s pole prediction.
https://twitter.com/Daniel_SuarezG/status/830935802406371329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
It appears that Suarez is in agreement with Earnhardt’s call. If Suarez won the Daytona 500 pole, it would be a banner start for the Cup Series rookie. The Daytona 500 is the most popular race of the season, and he’d get a lot of press should he win the pole. Likewise, his fan base and popularity would surely rise as well. Suarez’s inclusion in the Cup Series adds more diversity to the sport as he’s the lone Mexican driver in the top circuit.
Next: Aspen Dental increases sponsorship with Danica Patrick
Earnhardt Jr.’s prediction is somewhat surprising but isn’t out of the question. While it’s a long shot for Suarez to win the pole, it wouldn’t be the strangest thing to happen at Daytona International Speedway. There’s sure to be some butterflies in Suarez’s stomach as he takes part in his first Daytona 500 qualifying on Friday. It will be an experience worth soaking no matter how he ends up doing in qualifying.