Talk about having speed when it counts!
Bubba Wallace ripped his No. 23 U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry around the treacherous corners of Darlington Raceway on Saturday afternoon. Earning his Darlington Stripes in Round 1 of Group A’s qualifying session, he brushed the wall in turns 3 and 4. Positively, that aggressive run put him in contention to compete for the pole. In the final round of qualifying, the Mobile, Alabama native laid down a 167.146 mph lap, topping the charts to win his first career pole of the season.
It’s the third pole position of Wallace’s career.
Going into the Cook Out Southern 500, Wallace sits 21 points below Chris Buescher, who holds the final spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff grid. With promising speed in practice and qualifying, Wallace is proving to be a force to be reckoned with when the green flag drops.
“We’re not here to mess around. I showed up with a more open and calm demeanor. A more free and relaxing demeanor,” Wallace said. “Both cars showing up with speed at Darlington for the Southern 500 is super cool. I’ve been close here I think once or twice in qualifying so to finally pull it out, it’s like ‘Finally we got it’. With that being said, the elephant in the room, tomorrow is a whole different day.”
Coming off of four straight top-12 results, Carson Hocevar will share the front row with Wallace. The Rookie of the Year contender left practice with the fifth-best 10-consecutive lap average. Following a 26th-place finish in the spring, the 21-year-old hopes to better his result this time around. Chase Briscoe will start the race in third with a qualifying lap of 166.270 mph. This marks his first top-10 start at Darlington Raceway and his 11th in 26 races this season.
Kyle Larson will start the race from the fourth position while Martin Truex Jr. will lineup behind him in fifth.
STARTING LINEUP: NASCAR Cup Series Southern 500 at Darlington
Rounding out the top 10 are regular season points leader Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Chris Buescher.
A good starting position at Darlington Raceway could be the difference between having a playoff spot and not. Several drivers that have yet to lock themselves into the playoffs are starting outside the top 10.
Ty Gibbs is going into the Cook Out Southern 500 above the cutoff line by 39 points. He qualified just short of the top-10, starting the race in 13th with a speed of 166.857 mph. Ross Chastain is on the other side of that cutoff line, -27 to the good. The No. 1 Busch Retro Chevrolet did not practice or qualify where they needed it to. The Alva, Florida native will start the crown jewel race from the 22nd starting spot.
After the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer upheld Austin Dillon’s penalty, he once again found himself in a must-win situation. When the No. 3 Toys for Tots Chevrolet hit the track, it was on pace to have top-10 speed. Unfortunately in qualifying Group A, his car got loose in the middle of Turn 3, losing valuable time. With a pace of 29.670 seconds around The Lady in Black, Dillon will line up in 16th.
These drivers have one more chance to secure their spot in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship fight! All the action at Darlington Raceway kicks off Sunday at 6:00 p.m. The race will air on the USA Network and the NBC Sports App.
