Nick Sanchez wins Daytona pole

WATCH: Truck Series Rookie Nick Sanchez Wins Pole Award Over Chase Elliott and Corey LaJoie

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is back and rookie Nick Sanchez led the field that included Chase Elliott and Corey Lajoie, in qualifying. It’s Daytona. There are Cup Series drivers. It’s his first Truck Series race, ever! Sanchez doesn’t care, though.

The 2022 ARCA Mendard’s Series champion is moving up and putting his new competitors on notice. When the trucks come out in round one of qualifying, no one knew quite what to expect. Rajah Caruth led practice just the day before.

However, by the time Nick Sanchez was halfway around the track, it was clear his truck was different. In fact, the FS1 booth was kind of speechless as he finished his lap. They didn’t know the trucks could go that fast.

Then he went faster in round two to claim the pole for himself. Just impressive from the start.

If you’re looking for a talented young driver to cheer for, Nick Sanchez isn’t a bad choice. In fact, the Truck Series is full of some great young drivers that fans will get to know this season.

Chase Elliott didn’t have the best qualifying time in his part-time start but will start P14 in Friday’s race.

Nick Sanchez Has Strong Competition

While many view the Truck Series as the third tier of the NASCAR national series, there’s a lot of talent there. Don’t just tune in when your favorite Cup guy is going down to race. Don’t do it when Kyle Busch goes down to pick up another win. Watch because of dudes like Nick Sanchez and his former ARCA teammate Rajah Caruth.

It isn’t just them, though. There’s Carson Hocevar, John Hunter Nemechek, and so many others. It’s fun to watch guys like Chase Elliott suit up and race a truck. I get it. But if you were going to pick a year to get into this Craftsman series, 2023 is it.

With how fast he was compared to the rest of the field, I’ll be shocked if Nick Sanchez doesn’t win the NextEra Energy 250 on Friday night. When you have a third of a second on the field per lap, that’s a good way to come away with a checkered flag.

He’s won the pole and now all there is for Sanchez to do is to win the race itself.