Ross Chastain poses for photos after winning the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
Ross Chastain smiled and conceded, he had no idea how having the No. 1 pit box selection would be for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway.
“I’d never had it before,” he said smiling.
Chastain certainly earned it with honors on Saturday, claiming the pole with a blazing fast 160.687 mph lap in qualifying – a full 1 mph better than the field – earning the right to lead the field to green for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career. It also marks the first time a Trackhouse Racing car has ever started on pole.
“Definitely qualifying as a whole has not been a strong suit in my life, so a lot of work I’ve put into it and not a lot of payoff, not a lot of reward,” Chastain said. “Even the times I have put it together in round one, I’ve never been able to put round two together in a way that I’m proud of, or I feel I did right by.”
“And no matter how good the rest of the year goes, I will always have a memory of today,” Chastain added with a smile.
“We’re in Nashville, this is where Trackhouse was formed,” Chastain said. “It was started here with (team owner) Justin (Marks) living here. We are Nashville’s team. … to have it happen here is amazing.’’
Tyler Reddick will start alongside Chastain, while Justin Haley will start third – a career best effort for the 24-year old – alongside Joey Logano in fourth.
William Byron and Martin Truex, Jr. – ranked second and first in the championship standings, respectively – will start on row three. Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, and Daniel Suarez round out the top 10 starters.
Dawsonville, Georgia’s Chase Elliott just missed advancing to the final round and will start 14th.
NASCAR Cup Series
Nashville Superspeedway – Lebanon, TN
Ally 400 – June 24, 2023
Saturday’s Qualifying Results
Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
1. 1 Ross Chastain Worldwide Express Chevrolet 29.797 160.687
2. 45 Tyler Reddick The Big 615/MoneyLion Toyota 30.005 159.573
3. 31 Justin Haley LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 30.008 159.557
4. 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 30.016 159.515
5. 24 William Byron Liberty University Chevrolet 30.038 159.398
6. 19 Martin Truex, Jr. Bass Pro Shops Toyota 30.039 159.393
7. 5 Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 30.051 159.329
8. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 30.315 157.942
9. 23 Bubba Wallace McDonald’s Toyota 37.269 128.471
10. 99 Daniel Suarez Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
11. 8 Kyle Busch Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet 29.943 159.904
12. 17 Chris Buescher Fastenal Ford 29.945 159.893
13. 12 Ryan Blaney Menards/Pennzoil Ford 29.965 159.786
14. 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 29.993 159.637
15. 48 Alex Bowman Ally Chevrolet 29.995 159.627
16. 54 Ty Gibbs # Interstate Batteries Toyota 30.020 159.494
17. 4 Kevin Harvick Busch Light Peach Ford 30.027 159.456
18. 14 Chase Briscoe Mahindra Tractors Ford 30.030 159.441
19. 16 A.J. Allmendinger Celsius Chevrolet 30.042 159.377
20. 6 Brad Keselowski Solomon Plumbing Ford 30.060 159.281
21. 10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 30.096 159.091
22. 20 Christopher Bell DeWalt Toyota 30.130 158.911
23. 43 Erik Jones Allegiant Chevrolet 30.148 158.817
24. 2 Austin Cindric Snap On Ford 30.156 158.774
25. 41 Ryan Preece Morton Buildings Ford 30.165 158.727
26. 3 Austin Dillon Huk Performance Fishing Chevrolet 30.182 158.638
27. 38 Todd Gilliland Serial 1 E-Bikes Ford 30.257 158.244
28. 47 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Kroger/Ball Park Buns Chevrolet 30.275 158.150
29. 51 J.J. Yeley(i) Patriot Mobile Ford 30.397 157.516
30. 42 Noah Gragson # Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevrolet 30.480 157.087
31. 21 Harrison Burton DEX Imaging Ford 30.512 156.922
32. 15 Brennan Poole(i) MACC Door Systems Ford 30.544 156.757
33. 34 Michael McDowell Love’s/Fleetguard Ford 30.695 155.986
34. 77 Ty Dillon Raze Tea Chevrolet 30.728 155.819
35. 78 Josh Bilicki(i) Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet 31.390 152.533
36. 7 Corey LaJoie Garner Trucking Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
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