Between the two, Larson made the earliest debut. Speaking about his first appearance in 2014, while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, the 29-year-old said:
Larson ended up crashing the next day, finishing 38th in the final standings. Despite it being a disappointing Daytona weekend, the only good thing the driver remembers from that outing is the pre-race festivities. He said:
In stark contrast, Bubba Wallace Jr. had a memorable debut. His first start at the Daytona 500 came in 2018 for Richard Petty Motorsports. He started seventh in the race and finished second in the final standings.
Speaking about his debut, Wallace Jr. said:
This year marks the fifth entry in the Great American Race for the 28-year-old driver. Now plying his trade for 23XI Racing, he will be hoping to improve upon his debut performance. On surpassing his previous achievements, he said:
Kyle Larson on pole while Bubba Wallace Jr. 16th for 2022 Daytona 500
Kyle Larson went fastest on Wednesday’s qualifying for the 64th edition of the Great American Race. He qualified on pole position with a time of 49.68 seconds and a speed of 181.159 mph.
In doing so, he made 2022 the 10th year in a row where a Chevrolet has placed in front of the grid. The pole position on Wednesday also marked the 15th time that Larson’s team Hendrick Motorsports has achieved the feat, which is the highest among all teams currently on the grid.
Meanwhile, Bubba Wallace Jr. went 16th fastest on Wednesday with a time of 50.196 seconds and a speed of 179.297 mph. This pushed him into the Bluegreen Vacation Duel 2 to set the final grid, as per the new qualifying rules for the Great American Race.
Although the 23XI Racing driver went 7th fastest in Duel 2, it was not enough to lift him from his earlier 16th position, which is where he will start Sunday’s race.
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