Tyler Reddick claimed the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Pole Award for Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway Saturday morning after a qualifying lap of 170.124 mph in the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota.
It was his seventh Cup Series career pole, his first pole at Darlington and his first this season. After qualifying he spoke about the complexities of racing at the 1.366-mile track and how it complements his racing style.
“I think I have a lot of fun racing here. I have a lot of fun racing other competitors, but I also have a lot of fun racing the track as well,” Reddick said. “My first ever laps in the Next Gen – the NASCAR Next Gen version three car was here – we had a test, and it was a handful to drive. We had a lot of fun in it. We had other rookie tests here as well.
“I learned a lot about a Xfinity car and the new Cup car at a place like this and that is challenging to do. I’ve had some unique experiences that have probably helped me get better here, but I think the biggest thing is just how the tires wear and the amount you have to move around. The amount of risk that you have to take every single lap and manage that for a whole race is kind of benefitted me and how I drive a race car.”
RFK’s Brad Keselowski will start beside him on the front row after posting a 170.108 mph lap. His RFK teammate, Chris Buescher (169.543 mph) will start third as Ty Gibbs (169.491 mph) and William Byron (169.397 mph) rounded out the top five in qualifying.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson will start sixth followed by Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Martin Truex Jr. to complete the top-10.
You can tune into the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 Sunday, May 12, at 3 p.m. ET on FS1 with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
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