September 21, 2025; Loudoun, New Hampshire, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Michael McDowell (71) drives driver Noah Gragson (4) in a Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Mandatory citations: Eric Caña-Imagne. TALLADEGA, Alabama. Michael McDowell may be driving for a new team this year, but the Spire Motorsports driver has still proven that he is one of the fastest on the superspeedway. He earned the pole position for Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. McDowell turned a lap of 182.466 mph in the No. 71 Chevrolet on Saturday afternoon to take the lead in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff decider – the second of three races that will determine which four drivers will be eligible for the championship in the Nov. 2 finale. McDowell beat playoff driver Chase Briscoe by a slim 0.019 seconds on a lap of the 2.66-mile track. This is McDowell’s eighth career pole position and second of the season, matching his finish at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. “You know Talladega doesn’t do a lot in qualifying, but try not to make mistakes,” said McDowell, a 40-year-old Arizona native who won the 2021 Daytona 500. “We were looking forward to seeing where our car was and if we had made any progress in the first two races at the superspeedway. dry qualifying session) at Daytona (this summer). We were working really hard to get up to speed, everyone in the Hendrick engine shop too, just trying to make up for lost time on these superspeedways. “It’s important to have a fast car, and to be able to drive and control your lane, you need to have speed. Pole is amazing, but what’s even more important is just knowing that you’ll have a fast car tomorrow. Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch was third fastest in the No. 8 Chevrolet, followed by the Fords of Team Penske’s Austin Cindric, Roush Fenway Keselowski’s Ryan Preece and Wood Brothers Racing’s Josh Berry – all non-playoff entries. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell and Penske’s Ryan Blaney – both among the eight playoff drivers – will start seventh and eighth, followed by 23XI Racing teammates Riley Herbst and Bubba Wallace. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron, the regular-season champion, will start 13th in the No. 24 Chevrolet, while Penske’s Joey Logano and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin will start in the 16th and 17th spots.分別。 Hendrick’s teammates Kyle Larson (19th) and Chase Elliott (25th) round out the playoff field on the bracket. Hamlin has already earned a spot in the Final Four at Phoenix Raceway with a win last week in Las Vegas. Larson enters the race with a 35-point lead at the playoff line, and his JGR teammates Bell (+20) and Briscoe (+15) are also currently above the cut line. Byron (-15), Elliott (-23), Logano (-24) and Blaney (-31) are below the elimination line. Elliott, Logano and Blaney are all former Talladega race winners. HYAK Motorsports driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the defending race winner and will finish 37th in a field of 40 cars. — Holly Kane, special to Field Level Media
已发布: 2025-10-18 22:17:00
来源: deadspin.com
