Bubba Wallace Secures Pole Position for Cup Series Race at Texas Motor Speedway
Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 23 car, will lead the field to the green flag at the Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Wallace claimed the pole position with an impressive lap of 188.337 mph, marking his second career pole and his first since last year’s Michigan race.
In an interview with NBC Sports’ Kim Coon, Wallace expressed his confidence in his team’s ability to perform under pressure. He acknowledged the importance of stepping up and delivering in crucial moments, especially in the playoffs. With the starting position advantage, Wallace hopes to make a strong statement in the Round of 12, as he currently sits just below the cutline.
Starting alongside Wallace in second position is Texas native Chris Buescher, who achieved a lap of 188.081 mph. Brad Keselowski will line up third, followed by Ty Gibbs and Ross Chastain to round out the top five.
AJ Allmendinger, with a lap of 187.350 mph, will start in the sixth position, while Daniel Suarez secures eighth position with a lap of 186.948 mph. Playoff contenders Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell will start in eighth and ninth positions, respectively.
Notably, Denny Hamlin will be starting in the 10th position after aborting his qualifying lap to avoid potential damage. Five playoff drivers, including Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., William Byron, and Ryan Blaney, will line up outside the top 10, with Blaney starting the furthest back in 23rd position.
The green flag for Sunday’s race is set to wave at 3:50 p.m. ET on USA Network, with pre-race coverage starting at 3 p.m. ET. As the Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway, fans can expect an exciting and highly competitive race as drivers strive to secure their spot in the next round of the playoffs.