RICHMOND, Va. – Kyle Larson continued his blazing start to the NASCAR Cup Series season by clinching the pole position for Sunday's race at Richmond Raceway.
Larson, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, set a track record in Friday's qualifying session with a lap of 22.259 seconds at 129.004 mph. His remarkable performance secured him the top starting spot for the Toyota Owners 400.
"It was a great lap for us," Larson said. "The car has been fast all day, and to be able to put a lap down like that, especially breaking the track record, is awesome."
This marks Larson's second pole position of the season, adding to his previous one at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His strong showing early in the year has positioned him as one of the favorites for the Cup Series championship.
"It's definitely a confidence booster," Larson commented on his pole-winning run. "But we know we've got a lot of work to do to convert this into a strong finish on race day."
Joining Larson on the front row will be Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin, who posted the second-fastest time in qualifying. Hamlin, a native of nearby Chesterfield, Virginia, aims to secure his first win of the season at his home track.
"I'm happy with our qualifying effort," Hamlin said. "Starting up front gives us a good opportunity to contend for the win on Sunday, and that's what we'll be aiming for."
Defending Cup Series champion Kyle Busch qualified third, followed by Stewart-Haas Racing's Kevin Harvick in fourth. Rounding out the top five is Larson's teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, William Byron.
With qualifying complete, attention now shifts to Sunday's race, where drivers will battle for victory in the 400-lap event around the three-quarter-mile oval.
Fans can catch all the action from Richmond Raceway on Sunday, with the green flag scheduled to wave at 3:00 p.m. ET. The race will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.
No comments:
Post a Comment