Despite not being a part of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs this season, RFK Racing has continued to bring its best equipment to the track every week, following up the team’s newfound momentum from Bristol with a pole at Texas Motor Speedway.
After a flat tire late in Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol cost him a victory, Brad Keselowski was able to put his RoushParts.com Ford Mustang at the top of the speed charts in Saturday’s qualifying, with a time of 28.573 seconds (188.990mph).
For RFK Racing, it’s the organization’s second pole of the season, marking the first time in nearly a decade that the team has scored multiple poles in a single season. Additionally, it’s the first pole for Keselowski since 2019.
Joey Logano, Keselowski’s former teammate at Team Penske, will start in the runner-up position in Sunday’s 500-mile contest from Texas Motor Speedway, while William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Michael McDowell rounded out the top five.
Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Daniel Suarez will start sixth through tenth, after advancing to the second and final round of single-car qualifying.
Of the 12 drivers still eligible to capture the NASCAR Cup Series championship, six drivers failed to earn a starting spot inside the top-10, with Austin Cindric the highest of the Playoff drivers not to advance in 11th.
Ross Chastain will start the race alongside Cindric in 12th, with Ryan Blaney 14th, Alex Bowman 17th, Christopher Bell 22nd, and Chase Briscoe a disappointing 30th.
Only Cody Ware, who was involved in an accident during Saturday’s practice session, didn’t take time in qualifying, relegating the Rick Ware Racing entry to a 36th-place starting spot.
Qualifying Results: 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark 500
