NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron on Saturday displayed the power of his No. 24 Chevrolet and his road course prowess.
After turning the fastest morning practice lap, Byron backed up the effort by earning the pole position for Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas. He posted a hot lap of 94.696 mph.
Benefitting from Ty Gibbs’ late qualifying session mistake at the 20-turn, 3.426-mile road course, Byron claimed his second consecutive event pole and 13th of this career. His five grand prix-like pole starts paces all active drivers.
Entering the carousal section of the partially repaved track, Gibbs (94.685 mph) held a slim lead over Byron, but the second-year pilot drifted a bit wide on the turn.
Tyler Reddick (94.565) and Christopher Bell (94.482) qualified P3 and P4, respectively, followed by Corey LaJoie (94.096).
Byron’s practice pace peaked at 94.703 mph.
WAY FAST WILLIE B. 💨 @WilliamByron pic.twitter.com/Y51bFVhD3x
— NASCAR at COTA (@NASCARatCOTA) March 23, 2024
Ryan Blaney ‘Terrible’ During COTA Qualifying
Ryan Blaney used one strong word to call his qualifying effort at COTA: “Terrible.”
After reaching 93.965 mph, the reigning Cup Series champion qualified 28th Saturday, placing more than a full second behind Byron, the pole-sitter. During the morning practice session, Blaney turned a fast lap of 93.656 mph. He admitted he had room to improve.
“Nice to get more laps,” Blaney, who has one win and 13 top-10 finishes in 31 career road course events, told Fox Sports “I need all the laps I can get. (I was) struggling out there. I gotta clean a lot of stuff up.”
So does Ford. The manufacturer was shut out of Group B qualifying and Austin Cindric’s P11 was its best finish Saturday.
Our first road piece is here. This is a tough rodeo but our 12-Team will be ready to ride. Make sure to saddle up and watch this Sunday at 3:30PM ET on @nascaronfox pic.twitter.com/UmmBEOzOTk
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) March 22, 2024
Starting Lineup for NASCAR Cup Series’ EchoPark Automotive GP
Here is a look at the lineup for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series’ EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas:
Starting Position, Driver, Car No., Team
- 1, William Byron, 24, Hendrick Motorsports
- 2, Ty Gibbs, 54, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 3, Tyler Reddick, 23, 23XI Racing
- 4, Christopher Bell, 20, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 5, Corey LaJoie, 7, Spire Motorsports
- 6, Ross Chastain, 1, Trackhouse Racing
- 7, Martin Truex Jr., 19, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 8, Denny Hamlin, 11, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 9, Chase Elliott, 9, Hendrick Motorsports
- 10, Bubba Wallace, 23, 23XI Racing
- 11, Austin Cindric, 2, Team Penske
- 12, Shane van Gisbergen, 16, Kaulig Racing
- 13, Justin Haley, 51, Rick Ware Racing
- 14, AJ Allmendinger, 16, Kaulig Racing
- 15, Kyle Larson, 5, Hendrick Motorsports
- 16, Kyle Busch, 8, Richard Childress Racing
- 17, Alex Bowman, 48, Hendrick Motorsports
- 18, Carson Hocevar, 77, Spire Motorsports
- 19, Daniel Suarez, 99, Trackhouse Racing
- 20, Chris Buescher, 17, RFK Racing
- 21, Austin Dillon, 3, Richard Childress Racing
- 22, John Hunter Nemechek, 42, Legacy Motor Club
- 23, Kaz Grala, 15, Rick Ware Racing
- 24, Ryan Preece, 41, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 25, Kamui Kobayashi, 50, 23XI Racing
- 26, Todd Gilliland, 38, Front Row Racing
- 27, Michael McDowell, 34, Front Row Motorsports
- 28, Ryan Blaney, 12, Team Penske
- 29, Harrison Burton, 21, Wood Brothers Racing
- 30, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 47, JTG Daugherty Racing
- 31, Josh Berry, 4, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 32, Chase Briscoe, 14, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 33, Daniel Hemric, 31, Kaulig Racing
- 34, Zane Smith, 77, Spire Motorsports
- 35, Joey Logano, 22, Team Penske
- 36, Brad Keselowski, 6, RFK Racing
- 37, Timmy Hill, 66, Power Source
- 38, Erik Jones, 43, Legacy Motor Club
- 39, Noah Gragson, 10, Stewart-Haas Racing
Ready, set, LET’S RIDE! 🤘 @NASCAR pic.twitter.com/LsZu22fwFB
— NASCAR at COTA (@NASCARatCOTA) March 23, 2024
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