Ryan Dalziel wins the pole for the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona in a Ford powered Riley.

By Brian Bielanski, Editor

Daytona Beach, Fla. (RacingWire) - The #8 Ford/Riley from Starworks Motorsports will sit on the pole for the 50th running or the Roelx 24 at Daytona.

Ryan Dalziel clicked off a blazing fast lap of 1:41.119 (126.741 mph) to capture the pole.

He left series favorites Target/Telmex Ganassi Racing, SunTrust Racing and Action Express looking at his tailpipe.

"Maybe sometimes the underdogs aren't supposed to beat the powerhouse teams," said Dalziel.

Dalziel and SunTrust's Max Angelelli battled back and fourth during the 15-minute qualifying session on the 3.56 mile road course.

"What has happened at Starworks the past four or five months is that we've tried to create a powerhouse team, hired the right people and put together an unbelievable car," said Dalziel. "I think the No. 8 car is not only going to be a contender this weekend, but a contender the entire year."

The Starworks car took the pole after dumping a motor in the first practice and losing nearly the entire practice while the team put in a new powerplant.

Angelilli will start second and Scott Dixon will start third in the #2 Target/Telmex BMW/Riley from Ganassi Racing.

In the GT class, Andrew Davis claimed the pole in his #59 Brumos Racing Porsche GT3.  He won the pole with a lap of 1:49.342 (117.210 mph).

"It was an intense session," said Davis, who was bumped from the provisional pole three times before regaining it for good with two minutes left. "I just pushed it as hard as I could from the first lap out."

Jeff Segal will start second in his #69 AIM Autosport/Team FXDD Ferrari 458 Italia Grand Am.  The #44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 piloted by Andy Lally will start third on the GT grid.

The 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday January 28th.