McDowell takes Talladega Cup pole

McDowell Takes Pole for YellaWood 500 at Talladega

Michael McDowell will lead the NASCAR Cup Series grid at the YellaWood 500, securing the pole position with a lap of 182.466 mph (52.481 seconds) during single-car qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway. This marks McDowell’s second pole of the 2024 season and the eighth of his Cup Series career. Notably, this is the third consecutive race he has started from the front at Talladega, having achieved pole in both prior events this season.

McDowell attributed his success to a team effort at Spire Motorsports and advances made with Hendrick engines. “Having a fast car is important, and being able to lead lanes and control lanes, you have to have speed to do that,” he stated, emphasizing the significance of the pole for his confidence headed into Sunday’s race.

Chase Briscoe qualified second at 182.400 mph, making him the fastest playoff driver in the session. Kyle Busch and Austin Cindric completed the top three positions, clocking in at 182.199 mph and 182.181 mph, respectively. Ryan Preece rounded out the top five, qualifying at 182.116 mph.

The remainder of the top ten featured Josh Berry (6th, 182.005 mph), Christopher Bell (7th, 181.846 mph), Ryan Blaney (8th, 181.780 mph), Riley Herbst (9th, 181.735 mph), and Bubba Wallace (10th, 181.728 mph).

Among the playoff drivers, William Byron will start 13th, followed by Joey Logano in 16th, Denny Hamlin in 17th, and Kyle Larson in 19th. Chase Elliott had the least favorable qualifying position for playoff contenders, starting 25th. Defending race winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will begin from 37th.

A full field of 40 drivers is set to compete in the YellaWood 500, scheduled for 2 PM ET.