3 NASCAR father-son duos who clinched the Daytona 500 pole ft. Chase Elliott and his dad Bill

The Daytona 500 is a prestigious crown jewel event in stock car racing. Also labeled "The Great American Race", it is the inaugural race of the Cup Series each season and was first held in 1959. It takes place at the Daytona International Speedway situated in Florida.

The Daytona 500 features 200 laps around the 2.5-mile oval asphalt track covering 500 miles. To date, several drivers have secured pole positions at the event, but The Pettys, the Earnhardts, and the Elliotts are among the three father-son duos to have achieved this unique feat.

---

#1. The Elliotts

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott's father, Bill Elliott has two Daytona 500 wins (1985 and 1987). He also secured four pole positions at the event from 1985 to 87 and 2001. During his 37-year stint in the series, Bill amassed 44 Cup Series wins, 320 top-ten finishes, and 55 pole positions, winning the 1988 Cup Series championship title as well.

Meanwhile, his son Chase began his journey in stock car racing in 2015, driving the #25 Chevy Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports as a part-time driver before landing a full-time ride in the next season. Chase Elliot secured two back-to-back pole positions with HMS at the Daytona 500 (2016 and 2017).

The Elliotts are among the few father-son NASCAR duos to have won both Cup Series championship titles and NASCAR's most popular driver awards in their careers.

---

#2. The Earnhardts

The Earnhardts are one of the most celebrated families in NASCAR. Dale Earnhardt Sr. left a remarkable legacy behind, winning seven Cup Series titles during his time, including 76 wins, 428 top-ten finishes, and 22 pole positions. Known for his intimidating attitude on the racetrack, fans often called him "the Intimidator".

In 23 starts at the Daytona 500, Earnhardt Sr.'s only pole position came in the year 1996, followed by his only win two years later (1998). Meanwhile, his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. secured his only pole position in 2011, when he went on to finish in 24th place. He also has two wins at the event (2004 and 2014).

In 2023, on the 25th anniversary of Earnhardt Sr.'s 1988 Daytona 500 win, his son Jr. reflected upon his father's iconic win and said (as quoted by NASCAR):

“The lasting image for me of that day is (Earnhardt) coming down pit road and getting all the congratulations from all the teams. Every time I think about it, it makes me emotional because there are so many amazing people in this sport, but nobody’s ever received that type of pat on the back or whatever you want to call that moment," Jr. said.

"No competitor has ever had … pretty much the entire industry, drop that competitive guard and just go over and go, ‘Man, I’m happy for you. And boy, you’ve earned this handshake from me,’" he added.

Although Dale Jr. never won a Cup Series championship, he did have two back-to-back Xfinity Series championships in 1998 and 1999.

---

#3. The Pettys

The Pettys dominated stock car racing for a long time, with Richard Petty, also dubbed 'The King' by fans, having won the most (7) Daytona 500 races in the sport's history. Although, Richard managed to clinch only one pole position in 1966 while driving his iconic Plymouth for Petty Enterprise.

Meanwhile, his son Kyle also has a single pole position in the event (1993 season driving the Pontiac for SABCO Racing). He finished the race in 31st place while Dale Jarrett won the event.

Like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Petty also failed to win a Cup Series title during his 30-year career in the sport;