The 23-year-old Hocevar from Portage, Michigan, clocked in a single qualifying lap at 191.340 mph in 28.222 seconds to claim his second consecutive Cup pole at the Lone Star state by 0.003 seconds over teammate Daniel Suarez.
Zilisch was originally scheduled to race at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race last year, but sat out due to the late-race Talladega crash, which resulted in a back injury.
The 23-year-old Hocevar from Portage, Michigan, led 19 of 188 laps and fended off Chris Buescher amid a three-lap shootout to become the 208th winner in the Cup Series division at 'Dega.
The 2026 Daytona 500 champion from Corning, California, was awarded the pole position for Sunday's Cup event at Talladega due to rain canceling Saturday's qualifying session.
In an overtime restart, 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick made a last-lap pass to capture the eventual race win, his fifth victory of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.
With a lap time of 29.142 seconds at 185.300 mph, Tyler Reddick and his No. 45 23XI Racing team won the pole position for Sunday's Advent Health 400 at Kansas Speedway,
