RICHMOND, Va. – Ryan Preece secured the pole position for Saturday night’s race at Richmond Raceway, looking to secure a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Preece earned his second pole position in 212 Cup races, setting a lap at 121.381 mph on the 0.75-mile oval with his No. 60 Ford.
With only two races remaining in the regular season, Preece still has the possibility of entering the playoffs through the points standings, but a win would guarantee him an automatic spot. Tyler Reddick, who could secure his playoff spot with a good result on Saturday, qualified in second place. AJ Allmendinger will start third even though his No. 16 Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection twice, resulting in the loss of his pit stall selection and the ejection of crew chief Jaron Antley. Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott rounded out the top five in the standings. Alongside Preece, Reddick, and Allmendinger, six other winless drivers qualified in the top 15: Brad Keselowski (sixth), Alex Bowman (ninth), Michael McDowell (tenth), Austin Dillon (eleventh), Chris Buescher (twelfth), and Carson Hocevar (fifteenth). Ty Gibbs (22nd) and Kyle Busch (28th) will have a more difficult path to the front. Joey Logano, three-time Cup champion and two-time Richmond winner, will start last in the field of 38 cars after failing to complete a lap in qualifying. Logano crashed into the wall in Turn 4 during practice due to a problem with the right front tire of his No. 22 Ford. The starting position is crucial in Richmond, where long green flag runs are common, making it easy to lose a lap. The race last August had only three caution flags, tying the minimum on a short track since the Next Gen car debuted in 2022.What a great car!
Preece
