NASCAR CUP SERIES
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SOUTH POINT 400
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT
OCTOBER 14, 2023
Larson Puts Chevrolet on Front-Row at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Four Camaro ZL1’s Qualify in Top-10
- Team Chevy playoff contender Kyle Larson drove his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 to a runner-up qualifying effort at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – posting a best lap that was just 0.010 seconds shy of the pole position at 28.990 seconds, 186.271 mph.
- Fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammate and Team Chevy playoff contender William Byron posted his 21st top-10 qualifying result in the NASAR Cup Series this season – clocking-in a best lap of 29.004 seconds, 186.181 mph, to take the third position in the starting lineup for tomorrow’s South Point 400.
- Four drivers from three different Chevrolet teams will lineup in the top-10 for the Round of Eight opening race at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval. Joining Larson and Byron includes Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch in sixth and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain rounding out the Team Chevy top-10.
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER
2nd Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1
3rd William Byron, No. 24 Relay Payments Camaro ZL1
6th Kyle Busch, No. 8 Morgan & Morgan Camaro ZL1
10th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1
Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 – Qualified 2nd
“Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) is a good track for the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy team. I felt really good in practice. I was able to get lucky in avoiding a tire failure, so I feel good about that. And then in qualifying, getting on the front-row is good, as well. We’re off to a good start. We just have to piece it all together tomorrow.”
Did you feel a vibration in practice?
“I did, yeah. I felt a vibration and I felt like my car yawed out a little more off of (turn) two. I just pulled in and thankfully we did because it wouldn’t have made it through three and four.”
How comfortable do you feel in this round?
“Yeah, it’s a good round of tracks for us. With Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) and Homestead (Miami Speedway), I would love to get off to a good start; get some solid points. If you can get a win, obviously that would be amazing. But just want to put in some solid races and try to give ourselves a good opportunity when we get to Martinsville (Speedway).”
Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1 – Practice Accident Quote
Are you OK, and did you and your crew chief Travis Mack talk about what you had seen earlier and what you were going to do differently?
“We did. We saw what happened to the No. 5 (Kyle Larson) and we saw what happened with the No. 9 (Chase Elliott). We were adjusting a little bit based on that, but it looks like it didn’t matter. We ended up having a tire issue anyways. I felt like our No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevy was good. I wasn’t pushing too hard; I was just trying to get into a rhythm with the car. We were running long there, so we were just trying to get a rhythm. Right in the center of (turns) one and two, I had a big vibration. I didn’t even have a warning. I had a big vibration and I already knew what it was. The next thing you know, just a split second after that, it just blew.”
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
