Chase Briscoe Dominates Qualifying and Secures the Pole at the Brickyard 400
Chase Briscoe, with an outstanding performance, became the first driver to achieve pole position in all three NASCAR crown races in the same season. This Saturday, Briscoe secured the pole for the Brickyard 400 with a fast lap of 183.165 mph.
His impressive performance relegated Bubba Wallace to second place on the starting grid.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has nine poles in his career, five of them achieved in the current season, including those of the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, as well as the most recent in Briscoe’s home state. The driver will have the opportunity to complete the feat of winning all the crown races in the Southern 500 at the end of August.
Briscoe leads the season in terms of qualifying wins, achieving his most recent success at the 2.5-mile oval of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This achievement coincided with his sister’s wedding in Indiana. Despite his outstanding career, Briscoe has yet to win the Brickyard.
Wallace will start alongside Briscoe on the front row, after recording a lap of 183.117 mph. Both drivers led a group of five Toyotas at the front of the grid, marking the first time that the engine manufacturer has dominated the top five positions.
The classification was carried out after a brief rescheduled practice session, as Friday’s practice was interrupted by rain.
Ty Gibbs, Briscoe’s teammate, starts with an advantage in the championship round of NASCAR’s first In-Season Challenge. Gibbs qualified in fifth place with a speed of 182.445. Ty Dillon will start from the 26th position. The winner of the challenge will be crowned champion and receive a prize of $1 million.
Denny Hamlin, winner of last week’s race, faces a significant challenge to win his first title at the Brickyard. Hamlin suffered a serious accident during qualifying and will start from the last position, 39th, as he seeks to become the fifth driver to complete the sweep of the Cup Series crown races. At 44 years old, Hamlin signed a two-year contract extension with JGR on Friday.
Kyle Larson, the winner of last year’s race, will start from the 13th position.
