James Buescher and the Rheem team came into the second restrictor-plate race of the season looking to redeem themselves after Daytona. While leading the charge from the high lane, Buescher was making a bid for the lead when he received a bump on his left-rear quarter panel.
Brian Scott won the pole for Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, where he posted a fast lap of 48.293 seconds, 198.290 mph in his No. 33 Shore Lodge Chevrolet SS. In a wild knockout-style qualifying format consisting of three sessions, the new method for restrictor plate race tracks netted Scott his first career pole in Sprint Cup competition. His previous best start was 12th in this year’s season-opening Daytona 500. Primarily a NASCAR Nationwide Series driver, Scott will lead the 43-car NASCAR Sprint Cup field to the green flag in just his fifth Cup start. It also marked the 31st pole for Chevrolet at the 2.66-mile track, the longest on the circuit.
KENNY FRANCIS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE/THANKAMILLIONTEACHERS.COM CHEVROLET SS – ON THE NO. 5 TEAMS TIME GETTING DISALLOWED:
“Basically we had a malfunction with a ballast container. The cap that holds the ballast in came out. It could be mechanical or human error we are not really sure what happened. At the end of the day 25 pounds of ballast came out and we were 25 pounds light at the scales. The time was disallowed and we will have to start at the back.”
The Furniture Row Racing driver posted the 38th fastest qualifying speed at Talladega Superspeedway. A short time after qualifying, Truex's No. 78 Chevrolet was penalized by NASCAR for failing to meet the necessary height requirement. The penalty will result in Truex taking a provisional starting position at the rear of the field for Sunday's Aaron's 499.
BRIAN SCOTT, NO. 33 WHITETAIL CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER "It was a team effort. Big thanks to Joe Falk, Circle Sport Racing; everybody at RCR/ECR Engines. It is always a team effort to get these superspeedway poles. We had a plan from the beginning to work as a team. "
BRIAN VICKERS, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing - Starting Position: 18th - What was your opinion of this style of qualifying at Talladega?“It was interesting."
“As crazy and wild and unpredictable as qualifying can be, we feel fortunate to be in the race,” he said. “We had to make it on our lap speed. We were in a good position in the first session, but we didn’t get as good a position in the second.” “But the important thing is we’ll race on Sunday.”
Saturday was the first time that the group form of qualifying for Sprint Cup races has been used at Talladega Superspeedway, replacing the old single-car style. This resulted in aerodynamically friendly pack qualifying that produced speeds well into the upper 190s, with two drivers – Kyle Busch and Joey Logano – topping the 200-mph mark.
After nearly four full years between starts in a 410-winged sprint car, Taylor Ferns looked like an old pro last weekend at Atomic Speedway in Ohio, aboard one of the nearly 900-horsepower machines.
HSR's First Overseas Race This Weekend at the Le Mans Classic Legend Celebrates the Golden Anniversary of NASCAR's First Appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1976
Spire Motorsports has one previous start at the 1.5-mile oval dating to 2019, though Daniel Suárez and Michael McDowell have combined for 12 Cup starts at the track.
Zane Smith, driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse, will be making his 100th career NASCAR Cup Series start when the green flag falls this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.
This weekend will mark the first NASCAR action at Chicagoland Speedway since 2019. Prior to that, the circuit made a yearly stop at the 1.5-mile track for 19 consecutive seasons, starting in 2001.
