Byron throws down a ragged Cup Series pole lap at Phoenix
Yesterday at 05:41 PM
William Byron was the final driver to make a qualifying effort Saturday at Phoenix Raceway, and it turned out the best was saved for last.
Byron won the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race with a lap of 133.680mph (26.930s). The Hendrick Motorsports driver broke a pole drought that dates back to Circuit of The Americas in the spring of 2024. It’s Byron's 14th career pole but his first at Phoenix Raceway.
"I did not hit my marks," Byron told Prime. "I was sideways. I just carried a ton of entry speed. I missed the middle of the corner, and just coming off the dogleg, I was so loose. But I was going to commit to the (corner) exits and see how much I could get out of even though I missed the center. Just a fast car. Thanks to my whole team; they've been bringing great cars, and we've been doing a really good job executing. I definitely want to go out there and have a great day tomorrow. I feel like our car was really good in race trim.
"Still shaking. That did not feel like a good lap, but I just committed to it, and the grip was there."
Joey Logano was bumped from the pole position when Byron made his run. Logano clocked in at 133.195mph (27.028s) and will share the front row with Byron.
Carson Hocevar qualified third with a lap of 27.043s, Josh Berry fourth at 27.088s, Erik Jones fifth at 27.091s, Chase Elliott sixth at 27.099s, Michael McDowell seventh at 27.099s, Justin Haley eighth at 27.111s and Tyler Reddick ninth at 27.113s. Denny Hamlin completed the top 10 with a 27.150s lap.
Saturday was a banner day for Spire Motorsports. The organization saw all three drivers (Hocevar, McDowell, and Haley) qualify in the top 10 after Hocevar and McDowell were the fastest in practice.
Christopher Bell will begin his quest for a third consecutive Cup Series victory from the 11th starting position. Ryan Blaney qualified 12th, Chris Buescher 13th, Austin Cindric 14th and Kyle Busch ended up 15th.
Kyle Larson qualified 17th, Bubba Wallace 19th and Brad Keselowski qualified 20th. Ross Chastain managed 24th, Todd Gilliland 27th, Shane van Gisbergen 29th and Chase Briscoe 30th.
Near the rear of the field — Daniel Suarez in 31st, Alex Bowman (who got loose on his lap) in 32nd, Ty Gibbs in 34th and Katherine Legge last in 37th. Legge is making her Cup Series debut.
NEXT: Shriners Children's 500 at 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
