Earnhardt earns pole at Daytona

Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned the pole for Sunday’s race at Daytona International Speedway because his crew chief correctly predicted the weather.

Greg Ives instructed Earnhardt to go flat-out at the start of Friday’s first practice session because the rules state the field will be set by practice times if a qualifying session is canceled. When rain washed out the Saturday session in Daytona Beach, Fla., Ives proved to be a skilled weatherman.

Austin Dillon will start second and will be followed by Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard and Trevor Bayne.

David Gilliland will start sixth, and AJ Allmendinger, David Ragan, Jamie McMurray and Kasey Kahne round out the top 10. In other news:

• Austin Dillon won the Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway by avoiding a late accident and then holding off the competition on a sprint to the finish.

Brian Scott dominated the race and led 84 of the 104 laps, but with four scheduled laps left, he tried to shoot up the track to block Elliott Sadler. Scott was never clear of Sadler and he ran into him, triggering a 12-car crash.

Dillon escaped that wreck and was the leader on the restart.

• Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton will start from pole position for the eighth time in nine races this season as he chases a third British Grand Prix triumph Sunday in Silver- stone, England.

The British defending champion, who clocked 1 minute, 32.248 seconds in qualifying Saturday, will share the front row of the grid with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg for the seventh time this year.