Martin Truex Jr. on Saturday captured the pole position for Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway.
The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion turned a hot lot of 169.409 mph, earning his maiden pole at the 1.366-mile track and 21st of his career.
Truex credited his pit crew for making the correct final-attempt adjustments, helping the No. 19 Toyota rebound this season from a consistently poor starting position in 2022.
“We just made the balance really good,” Truex said, as reported by NASCAR.com. “We felt good about our car in Round 1, and I knew one specific thing, if we could get it better, we’d have a shot at it.
“Last year, we never really qualified all that great. We’ve been working on that a lot and really getting a lot better on that here lately.”
Bubba Wallace made it an all-Toyota front row, spinning 169.339 mph. He suffered a late-round KO.
“Just got me,” Wallace said. “But all in all, a solid start to our weekend on the Cup side. Martin’s really good here, obvoisly. It’s good start up front. I’ve just got to maintain it all race. That’s going to be a big task for me.”
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., William Byron and Ross Chastain rounded out the top five qualifiers.
Retweet to congratulate Martin Truex Jr. on his Cup Series POLE at Darlington Raceway! #NASCARThrowback pic.twitter.com/bmbPWCLz2v
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 13, 2023
Kyle Larson Walls JH Nemechek In Exciting Xfinity Finish
Kyle Larson patiently stalked Xfinity Series regular John Hunter Nemechek over the final seven laps, then used his Cup Series champion poise to clinch a last-lap victory during Saturday’s Shriners Children 200.
Larson rebounded from a Stage 3 speeding penalty that dropped him to the back. The 2021 Cup titleholder benefited from two key caution periods and a strong No. 10 Chevrolet, fielded by Kaulig Racing.
“We had a really, really good car the whole race, and I made a mistake on pit road,” Larson said, as reported by NASCAR.com. “We were picking off cars really fast.”
On the final lap, Larson set up Nemechek for a pass, but ended up striking the Turn 4 wall and colliding with Nemechek’s No. 20 Toyota about 100 yards from the start/finish line.
Larson earned is 14th career Xfinity Series win and first national series checkered flag at Darlington.
Nemechek led 57 laps, but placed fifth.
“It was a great day,” Nemechek said of “battling with one of the best in the sport in my opinion, Kyle Larson.”
KYLE LARSON WINS AT DARLINGTON AS JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK GOES AROUND. pic.twitter.com/gU9NreOLQb
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 13, 2023
Starting Lineup for NASCAR Cup Series’ Goodyear 400
Here is a look at the lineup for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series’ Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway:
Starting Position, Driver, Car No., Team
- 1, Martin Truex Jr., 19, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 2, Bubba Wallace, 23, 23XI Racing
- 3, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 47, JTG Daugherty Racing
- 4, William Byron, 24, Hendrick Motorsports
- 5, Ross Chastain, 1, Trackhouse Racing
- 6, Daniel Suarez, 99, Trackhouse Racing
- 7, Kyle Larson, 5, Hendrick Motorsports
- 8, Denny Hamlin, 11, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 9, Tyler Reddick, 45, 23XI Racing
- 10, Brad Keselowski, 6, RFK Racing
- 11, Ryan Blaney, 12, Team Penske
- 12, Kyle Busch, 8, Richard Childress Racing
- 13, Ty Gibbs, 54, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 14, Harrison Burton, 21, Wood Brothers Racing
- 15, Joey Logano, 22, Team Penske
- 16, Christopher Bell, 20, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 17, Aric Almirola, 10, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 18, Austin Dillon, 3, Richard Childress Racing
- 19, Michael McDowell, 34, Front Row Motorsports
- 20, Kevin Harvick, 4, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 21, Chase Elliott, 9, Hendrick Motorsports
- 22, Justin Haley, 31, Kaulig Racing
- 23, Josh Berry, 48, Hendrick Motorsports
- 24, Todd Gilliland, 38, Front Row Motorsports
- 25, Austin Cindric, 2, Team Penske
- 26, Ryan Newman, 51, Rick Ware Racing
- 27, Chris Buescher, 17, RFK Racing
- 28, Erik Jones, 43, Legacy Motor Club
- 29, Noah Gragson, 42, Legacy Motor Club
- 30, AJ Allmendinger, 16, Kaulig Racing
- 31, Chase Briscoe, 14, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 32, Ryan Preece, 41, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 33, Ty Dillon, 77, Spire Motorsports
- 34, Corey LaJoie, 7, Spire Motorsports
- 35, BJ McLeod, 78, Live Fast Motorsports
- 36, Brennan Poole, 15, Rick Ware Racing
Two Toyota teams on the front row tomorrow at @TooToughToTame. @MartinTruex_Jr and @BubbaWallace will lead the field to green!#NASCARonFS1 | #NASCARThrowback pic.twitter.com/CFo3B8PB88
— Jamie Little (@JamieLittleTV) May 13, 2023
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