It appears that Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports have returned to form as the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs loom closer, capturing the pole for Sunday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway.
The Elk Grove, California-native posted the quickest time in the second round of Saturday’s single-car qualifying session from the three-quarter mile facility in Richmond, Virginia, boasting a time of 23.042 seconds (117.177mph).
Larson edged out fellow Chevrolet teammate Ross Chastain by five-hundredths of a second to grab his 13th career pole in the NASCAR Cup Series, and his third of the 2022 season.
Denny Hamlin will start Sunday’s race from third place, while Larson’s teammates at Hendrick Motorsports, William Byron and Alex Bowman, completed the top-five with fourth and fifth-place starting spots.
Martin Truex Jr, Cole Custer, Brad Keselowski, Erik Jones, and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top-10 for Sunday’s 400-lap contest.
Blaney, the fastest driver in Group A, scraped the wall on his qualifying lap, slowing him down and netting him a tenth-place starting spot.
Group B was definitely the preferred group for Saturday’s single-car qualifying session. Any driver who didn’t advance to the second round from Group A was relegated to a starting spot of 21st or worse.
That includes Christopher Bell (21st), Chase Elliott (23rd), Daniel Suarez (24th), Tyler Reddick (26th), Kyle Busch (29th), Aric Almirola (32nd), and Austin Cindric (33rd).
BJ McLeod, owner-driver of the No. 78 Ford Mustang for Live Fast Motorsports, will start from the tail-end of the field, after not taking a lap in Saturday’s qualifying session.
Qualifying Results: 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400
