William Byron, currently second in the series standings, saved his best for the last round and won the pole for Sunday’s race.
Byron’s average lap speed of 170.629 mph was the fastest lap turned in practice or qualifying and just eclipsed series point leader Martin Truex Jr. (170.235 mph), who won last weekend’s race at New Hampshire.
Byron and his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team have achieved their third pole position this season, marking the 11th of his career.
“I find qualifying extremely gratifying at this location,” expressed Byron. “I have always had a fondness for visiting Pocono, especially since Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) and I were partnered together in the Truck Series. He brought an exceptionally swift Truck to this track. Since then, we have developed a strong understanding of the circuit.”
“I anticipate that tomorrow will be a demanding day. Take time to replenish fluids and gather yourself, as we have been engaged in intense racing throughout the week. I am hopeful that tomorrow will yield a favorable outcome for our team. It would be gratifying to achieve a victory.”
Byron’s teammate in the HMS, Kyle Larson, will begin in the third position, Kevin Harvick in fourth, and Christopher Bell, Truex’s teammate in Joe Gibbs Racing, will complete the top five.
Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick (who had the fastest practice time), Denny Hamlin, Austin Cindric, and Bubba Wallace make up the remaining five spots in the top-10 starting lineup.
In his last attempt to qualify, Bubba Wallace made contact with the wall as he exited Turn 1, resulting in noticeable damage to the right side of his No. 23 Toyota.
It is probable that Wallace will have to begin Sunday’s race from the back of the field due to the repairs needed for his car.
Round 1 / Group A
In the initial group, Toyotas led the pack with Wallace setting the fastest lap at an average speed of 170.380 mph.
Hamlin and Bell, both Toyota drivers, achieved the second and third-fastest speeds, with Hamlin reaching 169.738 mph and Bell reaching 168.878 mph.
Cindric and Logano also progressed to the final round of qualifying.
Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, and Michael McDowell were among the individuals who did not progress.
During his qualifying lap, Todd Gilliland spun out in Turn 2 but there was no indication of any contact made with his No. 38 Ford.
Round 1 / Group B
Reddick, who recorded the fastest time during practice on Saturday, took the lead in Group B with an impressive average lap speed of 170.442 mph. This lap was also the fastest of the day at that moment.
Reddick expressed, “Bubba held the position of p1 in Group A, while we held the position of p1 in Group B. The entire team at 23XI Racing performed exceptionally well during this weekend.”
Harvick was second-fastest (170.271 mph) and Byron third (170.245 mph).
Truex and Larson also progressed to the final round of qualifying.
Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman, and Chase Elliott were among the individuals who did not progress to the final round.
During his qualifying lap in Turn 2, Elliott managed to loop it around but successfully avoided hitting the wall with his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Due to the occurrence of several flat tires, Elliott’s car will require modifications that will probably result in him starting Sunday’s race from the back of the pack.
Leave a Reply