Hendrick Motorsports William Byron took pole position for Sunday’s 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season-ending NASCAR championship race at Phoenix Raceway and starts the race just ahead of regular season champion Martin Truex Jr.
Speaking following the action, Byron said:
“My team is really going to like this. “It’s going to be fun. All my family and friends are here, all my friends from high school. It’s going to be fun to hang out with them over tonight and just enjoy. This is a great opportunity. I want to be here every year. It’s really fun to be a part of, and we need to take advantage of it.”
Byron has also got the advantage of having pit-stall number one for Sunday’s race. Ryan Blaney will have a hard task on his hands as he fights his way through the field from 15th place on the grid and speaking following qualifying he commented saying:
“I needed about another tenth-and-a-half (of a second)—I don’t know. “I mean, the car didn’t feel bad, just not as much speed as everyone else. I think our race car is good for (Sunday). So, we’ll see what happens.”
Hendrick Motorsports Kyle Larson starts the race from fourth place in the No.5 HendrickCars Chevrolet and speaking following the action he commented saying:
“I think we all saw the practice sheets yesterday. “I think the 12 (Blaney) and the 20 (Bell) looked a step better than especially me and even William a little bit. Was honestly surprised that they didn’t make the final round there.
“So, no, I’m not counting out Blaney or Bell at all. It’s a long race, so they’ll overcome wherever they start. I’m sure they’ll drive through the field. The final four guys, most everybody respects or shows a lot of respect to on the racetrack and gives a lot of space.
“I think they’ll find their way to the front pretty quickly.”
Christopher Bell starts the race from 13th.
1. (24) William Byron (P) @, Chevrolet, 132.597 mph.
2. (19) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 132.509 mph.
3. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 132.421 mph.
4. (5) Kyle Larson (P) @, Chevrolet, 132.397 mph.
5. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 132.261 mph.
6. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 132.139 mph.
7. (43) Erik Jones, Chevrolet, 131.540 mph.
8. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 131.454 mph.
9. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 131.109 mph.
10. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 128.769 mph.
11. (54) Ty Gibbs #, Toyota, 0.000 mph.
12. (41) Ryan Preece, Ford, 0.000 mph.
13. (20) Christopher Bell (P) @, Toyota, 0.000 mph.
14. (38) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 0.000 mph.
15. (12) Ryan Blaney (P) @, Ford, 0.000 mph.
16. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
17. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 0.000 mph.
18. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
19. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford, 0.000 mph.
20. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
21. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
22. (42) Carson Hocevar(i), Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
23. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
24. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
25. (21) Harrison Burton, Ford, 0.000 mph.
26. (14) Chase Briscoe, Ford, 0.000 mph.
27. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 0.000 mph.
28. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford, 0.000 mph.
29. (7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
30. (51) Ryan Newman(i), Ford, 0.000 mph.
31. (6) Cole Custer(i), Ford, 0.000 mph.
32. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
33. (77) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
34. (15) JJ Yeley(i), Ford, 0.000 mph.
35. (31) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
36. (78) BJ McLeod(i), Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.