Kyle Larson set a track record during qualifying at Circuit of the Americas and won the pole for Saturday’s Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 with a lap speed of 92.946 mph in the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
“I think I’ve gotten the pole every time I’ve run the (No.) 17 car,” Larson said following qualifying. “It hasn’t translated to a win yet. I’m still trying to get a grasp of things. It’s going to be tough. SVG (Shane van Gisbergen), he’s still got a lot to learn about the car and he’s already second quick.”
Rookie Shane van Gisbergen will start beside Larson on the front row after a qualifying lap of 92.65 mph. He will also compete in Sunday’s Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.
Ty Gibbs (92.537 mph), Chandler Smith (92.211 mph) and AJ Allmendinger (92.188 mph) rounded out the top five. Sage Karam, Sheldon Creed, Cole Custer, Daniel Hemric and Sam Mayer completed the top 10 fastest drivers in the qualifying session.
Notes:
Daniel Hemric filled in for Josh Williams, awaiting his child’s birth.
Preston Pardus and Kaz Grala did not qualify for Saturday’s race at COTA.
The Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 will be broadcast on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on FS1 with radio coverage provided by PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
