Logano concedes it will be a ‘slow climb’ back to the top

Joey Logano isn’t going to deny it’s been a rough start to the NASCAR Cup Series season for his Team Penske group, and part of the problem is accepting some of the results. Logano had speed at the two superspeedway races to start the season, Daytona …

Joey Logano isn’t going to deny it’s been a rough start to the NASCAR Cup Series season for his Team Penske group, and part of the problem is accepting some of the results.

Logano had speed at the two superspeedway races to start the season, Daytona and Atlanta, before a mediocre run (his words) at Las Vegas. But that mediocre run netted Logano’s only top-10 finish thus far. Bristol Motor Speedway was a day of tire attrition and in hindsight, Logano should have pitted when he ran his tires down to the cords instead of waiting for a caution that never came.

“I rode around over three seconds off a lap — that clicks off pretty quick in 15-second laps — and I lost two laps doing that,” Logano said Thursday during his one-hour appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “So that stunk. And then last week at (Circuit of The Americas) we were OK. Nothing special. We had a horrible qualifying run that was on me and then we scratched and clawed from 35th to 11th, so not too bad.

“That’s kind of the problem, if I’m being honest with you right now. We looked at 11th and said, ‘That’s not too bad.’ That’s a problem. We want to be pissed off about 11th. That’s where we want to get to.”

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Las Vegas and COTA are Logano’s only top-20 finishes. Logano failed to finish the Daytona 500 and at Phoenix Raceway and is 22nd in the championship standings.

“It’s a slow climb back to the top — it always is,” Logano continued. “But you have to start slowly, grabbing the little victories here and there. Little things that we’re doing well on and off the track. And there is, and we’re slowing grabbing some points back up through the ranks a little bit.

“We’re going to Richmond this weekend (and) that is one of my favorite racetracks, one of our best racetracks — maybe our best racetrack as the 22 team. So I look forward to having a solid run there, scoring some stage points, putting ourselves in position to win. That’ll be key. I feel more confident at Richmond than I have at really any other track this year, so hopefully we can have a solid run.”

Given how close the competition is, Logano believes it won’t take much to turn things around. But it’s not just one hurdle Logano’s No. 22 team is fighting because he said it’s been something different every weekend.

“The speed knob is one of them that we have to tune up the most right now because that’s the one that puts you in position the most,” Logano said. “I’m not in panic mode. I’m concerned, obviously, by where we’re at but I’m not in panic mode. Everything usually averages out.

“We’re still 20 races or so from the playoffs starting. We have time to get ourselves back up there. … We’re scratching and clawing back up there and we’ll get there.”

Logano feels there are “definitely some gains” from the new-for-2024 Mustang bodywork, but “I don’t think we’re maximizing the potential out of the car yet.” Rusty Jarrett/Motorsport Images

In his 12th year driving for Roger Penske, Logano said this is the worst start his team has ever had to a season. Another variable is the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse, which Logano said teams don’t completely understand yet. Since the offseason, Logano has preached that while things looked good on paper, it will be different when on the racetrack.

“We need to understand what those differences are,” Logano said. “I think in some ways there’s definitely some gains (with the new body), and in other ways, I don’t think we’re maximizing the potential out of the car yet because I don’t think we completely understand everything about it.

“Engine-wise, we need help there, for sure. We need to try to move forward in that department as much as we can to stay competitive.”

Six other Ford drivers are sitting higher in the Cup Series point standings than Logano. However, only one — reigning champion, Ryan Blaney — is inside the top 10. Of the three manufacturers, Ford is the only one that has not won a race.

“I’m not telling any secrets here, we’re definitely off right now,” Logano said. “We don’t have a Ford up there winning races consistently at all. Or even in the threat of doing that right now outside of superspeedways. That’s our strength for sure — we’re great at those. We’re the best cars at superspeedways, no doubt in my mind.

“That’s not enough races. We need to be good at some other ones, too. We’re working at it. It’s never a quick turnaround, but the first thing we have to do is pinpoint exactly where we are off (and) in what areas. Not (just) saying engine or downforce — what areas and be very specific in what areas we need to work on so we can focus on those things, and it then takes time to develop and apply those developments to the race car.”

Logano has three straight top-10 finishes in the last three Richmond races. In 29 starts, Logano has an average finish of 10th at Richmond with two victories.

NASCAR reviewing COTA track limit policies

NASCAR’s Elton Sawyer doesn’t want officiating to be the story at Circuit of the Americas and said they are reviewing their procedures for the facility. “COTA is very challenging,” Sawyer said Tuesday morning on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “I would …

NASCAR’s Elton Sawyer doesn’t want officiating to be the story at Circuit of the Americas and said they are reviewing their procedures for the facility.

“COTA is very challenging,” Sawyer said Tuesday morning on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “I would rather go to Daytona, Talladega, Atlanta every day of the week from an officiating standpoint. We’re calling balls and strikes on every lap and that’s not really where we want to be.

“I commend our team in the tower. I thought they did a good job, but it’s way too much about us and not enough about the athletes and our teams and our pit stops and strategy and things of that nature. So, (there is) some work to be done.”

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There were 20 penalties in the Craftsman Truck series race for drivers short-cutting the course through the esses. The same call was made 16 times in the Xfinity series race and four times in the Cup race.

“Not sure … if we will or will not be going back to COTA in (2025), but we’re preparing today, have been since basically the start of the weekend, on what we can do going forward with the facility and then how we would officiate it and what the deterrent looks like,” Sawyer said. “Obviously, being out of bounds there and it being a drive-through penalty that’s significant.

“So, a lot of things for us to digest before we get to back to COTA because, all in all, at the end of the day, it needs to be about, again, our athletes, our fans watching at home, or sitting there at the facility watching, and it doesn’t need to be about the officiating.”

NASCAR only enforces track limits in the esses at COTA and not the rest of the course. Sawyer said it comes down to where drivers can make gains throughout a lap. If they didn’t keep drivers on the track through the esses, which is Turns 3-5, they wouldn’t make the same left and right maneuvers because they would try to straighten it out. (Denny Hamlin admitted as much on his podcast Actions Detrimental after Sunday’s race).

“If you look at the other road courses that we go to … there is significant boundaries that are already built into those facilities that you’re not going to go out of bounds,” Sawyer said. “You’re going to be in the grass, or you’re going to be up against a barrier of some kind. COTA is not built that way; there’s a lot of extra asphalt there where our competitors, if there is lap time to be gained, they are going to find that asphalt.

“It puts a premium on the officiating and the lap time there. Although it’s a 3.41-mile course, there is a lot of lap time to be gained through the esses.”

Sawyer said there not being a gain in lap time is why NASCAR doesn’t police Turn 1. The tight left-hander at the top of the 133-foot hill can see drivers go three, four, or five-wide and drivers going far out to the right off the racing surface. But he also reasoned that some incidents result from drivers getting pushed out wide.

Chase Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports team tried a similar argument of it not being intentional when their driver was called for cutting the course. Elliott got loose and missed one of the turns in the esses, but NASCAR still called the penalty. Sawyer compared it to a foul being called in NCAA basketball when, most of the time, the defender isn’t trying to foul their opponent, but the call is made.

“I would say in our situation this past weekend, the drivers are not trying to commit a foul, but the foul was committed,” Sawyer said. “So, from an officiating standpoint, you have to call that and that’s why the 9 was called. They kept coming up saying he had wheel hopped, he had got loose, whatever that may be, and that’s fair. I do believe that.

“But on the flip side, you still have to make the call or every driver, every team is going to be calling up saying, look, he got loose, he wheel hopped, so forth and so on.”

Elliott’s penalty was another reason why Sawyer said NASCAR needs to reevaluate how it officiates at COTA.

“We don’t want to over-officiate,” he said. “That’s not what we want to do. Again, we don’t need 20, 30 penalties in a race. We don’t need that. So, all of those things will be taken into consideration.

“Again, I feel the calls made on Saturday and Sunday were the correct calls based on the information we’ve given the teams, the facility and how we need to officiate it. That doesn’t mean we’re not going back today and working extremely hard in all areas, so that’s not a focal point going forward.”

Byron, Fugle focused on early season points grab

William Byron became the first repeat winner of the NASCAR Cup series season on Sunday at Circuit of the Americas, putting more points in the bank for the postseason. “I feel like it kind of ebbs and flows,” Byron said. “We’re on a good flow right …

William Byron became the first repeat winner of the NASCAR Cup series season on Sunday at Circuit of the Americas, putting more points in the bank for the postseason.

“I feel like it kind of ebbs and flows,” Byron said. “We’re on a good flow right now in some ways. In the win category. I’d like to finish better on the off days, too. I’m working on that every week. There are a few guys in the series – Chase [Elliott] does a really good job when he doesn’t have the day he wants and he still finishes well.

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“I’m still trying to look at those days and how I can improve, like last week (at Bristol). But I feel like the ups are up right now, and we just got to keep it going.”

Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team have two victories and 10 playoff points and it’s been validation for the work done in the offseason to start the year in the right direction.

“Any time you can collect some points, playoff points, early in the year, confidence, all those things, you just got to do it,” Byron’s crew chief Rudy Fugle said. “This is the process. We work really hard during the offseason and prepare for this first chunk of races, and it proves that what we’re doing is correct. So, anytime you can get momentum going and get the team fired up, get everybody fired up. There’s going to be plenty of ups and downs this year, so anytime you can get them, you got to grab them.”

A strong regular season in 2023 had Byron tied for the No. 1 seed going into the postseason with Martin Truex Jr. Both had 36 playoff points, but of the two, Byron made the Championship 4 after winning a career-high six races last season.

Sunday’s victory at Circuit of the Americas made it three consecutive years that Byron has won twice in the first 10 races, and 10 of his 12 career victories have come in his last 78 starts.

“I just feel like it reaffirms that the process that I’m doing during the week is correct,” Byron said. “So, if I do those things that I know are right and the people around me are there to help me do those things and keep the ship kind of going, I know that stuff works. I have a great team. I think when I’m able to plug into what we’re doing as a whole, Rudy and I are able to have conversations during the week, and I get to a place where I feel confident, all that stuff clicks.

“The sport’s really hard. It’s very easy to get caught up in all the moving parts and all the different challenges. But I just know that if I do what is normal for me, it’s good.”

Despite the victories, the ebbs and flows have been easy to see, as Byron is sixth in the championship standings with three top-10 finishes. He finished 17th at Atlanta Motor Speedway after Michael McDowell collided with him coming to pit road. The team also stumbled at Phoenix Raceway and had a dismal day at Bristol Motor Speedway after damaging the right rear toe link.

Circuit of the Americas was a needed confidence booster, especially when looking at the next two races on the calendar. Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway have been weak spots for the team, and Fugle was quick to pivot to those after Sunday’s triumph.

“The next two are circled big time,” Fugle said. “We talked about it, there’s different types of wins. We’re going to shoot for the stars, but we’re going to get a win out of the next two weeks one way or another. It doesn’t have to be a victory or a trophy.

“But we have not been good at Richmond, we have not been good at Martinsville and we need to be. Right away. That’s all we’re focused on right now.”

Ty Dillon gets part-time Kaulig Cup ride

Ty Dillon will run five NASCAR Cup series races in the No. 16 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing. Dillon’s first start with the team will be this weekend at Richmond Raceway. A sponsor lineup for Dillon was not announced. “I’m excited to be back in the …

Ty Dillon will run five NASCAR Cup series races in the No. 16 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing.

Dillon’s first start with the team will be this weekend at Richmond Raceway. A sponsor lineup for Dillon was not announced.

“I’m excited to be back in the NASCAR Cup Series with Kaulig Racing,” Dillon said. “This is the highest level of our sport and allows me to go out and prove what I can do with great leaders in Matt Kaulig, Chris Rice, Travis Mack, and the entire team. Kaulig Racing gives me the best opportunity to showcase what I can do on the track.”

Dillon currently competes full-time in the Craftsman Truck series for Rackley W.A.R. However, Dillon, and was a full-time Cup driver from 2017 through 2020 and then in 2022 and 2023. He’s made 238 career starts with seven top-10 finishes.

In addition to Richmond, Dillon will join the Cup Series field at Texas Motor Speedway (April 14), New. Hampshire Motor Speedway (June 23), Richmond Raceway (Aug. 11), and Kansas Speedway (Sept. 29).

“We’re excited to have Ty Dillon compete for Kaulig Racing this season in the NASCAR Cup Series,” Kaulig Racing president Chris Rice said. “With our continued success in the sport and support from Richard Childress Racing, it made perfect sense to lean on a veteran driver to help pilot the No. 16.”

Bowman ‘bummed’ he didn’t have more at COTA in the end

Alex Bowman turned a quiet day at Circuit of the Americas into a fourth-place finish in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. “I feel we had a good weekend, overall, minus qualifying,” Bowman said. “All week, we’ve wanted our car to hang on to the …

Alex Bowman turned a quiet day at Circuit of the Americas into a fourth-place finish in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

“I feel we had a good weekend, overall, minus qualifying,” Bowman said. “All week, we’ve wanted our car to hang on to the rear tires longer and we fought that a little bit in the race still. I thought the second-to-last run we got it pretty good, and we short-pitted to try and get track position and came out right in the middle of a bunch of guys still on older tires and beat the rear tires up real bad on low air.”

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Bowman qualified 17th but had an average running position of ninth Sunday afternoon. The No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team called Bowman to pit road for the final time under green flag conditions with 25 laps to go. It was a lap earlier than the leaders (Bowman was running fourth) and allowed him to leapfrog Ross Chastain during the pit cycle.

The field fully cycled through with 18 laps to go, and Bowman was second to teammate and eventual winner William Byron. But the damage had been done fighting through lapped traffic, and Bowman faded over the final laps.

“I just feel like I hurt my stuff for that last run pretty badly in those first two laps (after the pit stop),” Bowman said. “Bummed that happened, but we had a good Ally Camaro. I felt like we maximized everything aside from that little bit there.

“It sucks to not win here yet, but we’ve been really good, really consistently.”

Bowman has finished no worse than eighth in four starts at Circuit of the Americas. In the last three races, Bowman has finished inside the top five. He didn’t earn stage points Sunday as the team focused on track position for the end of the race, and it resulted in their second consecutive top-five result.

“I wouldn’t say I’m worn-out, I’m just bummed,” Bowman said. “I probably just got stuck out in traffic after our last pit stop. It was a bad spot that I had to run too hard on low air and beat the rear tires up. I kind of inched in on William (Byron) for a bit, but then the rear tires just went away. Yeah, I definitely had to manage it some. Definitely some tire fall off here.”

Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon hopes the tide is turning for Bowman’s team after two solid weekends.

“Bowman, when he gets on a roll, he gets his confidence up, there’s no telling what they’re capable of doing,” Gordon said. “I’m really happy for them, two top fives in a row. They’d had a couple of rough weeks, so they needed this.

“Hendrick Motorsports is tough, right? Four of the top drivers and teams out there, and there’s a lot of pressure on you. If you’re winning, there’s pressure to continue. When you’re not winning or you’re not at the same level as your teammates, there’s a ton of pressure that you got to get there. I’m proud of him and Blake (Harris) the way they’ve been working hard together to get some good finishes. Now I can’t wait to see what they do next, as well.”

Haley disqualified from COTA Cup race

NASCAR has disqualified Justin Haley from Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas because his Rick Ware Racing car failed post-race inspection. Haley’s No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse did not meet minimum post-race weights. …

NASCAR has disqualified Justin Haley from Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas because his Rick Ware Racing car failed post-race inspection.

Haley’s No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse did not meet minimum post-race weights.

The disqualification will move Haley to last place, 39th, in the finishing order and he will receive one point from the race. Haley crossed the finish line 17th Sunday, which would have been his third top-20 finish of the season.

“We had an OK day,” Haley said afterward. “I thought we did everything right up until the end when we had a slow pit stop and kind of faded from there. I am really happy with the results we are getting. We have such a small team and we are trying as hard as we can. I appreciate everyone at Ford and RFK for giving us the information they give us and I am glad we are starting to apply it.”

No additional penalties are expected for Haley’s team aside from the disqualification. The team does have the option to appeal the penalty.

There were no other issues from post-race inspection at Circuit of the Americas.

Bell needed a Byron mistake in order to make a run for COTA win

Christopher Bell was fast enough to erase a 9s deficit in the final stint of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas, but he also needed a little fortune to take the victory. Bell and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team finished …

Christopher Bell was fast enough to erase a 9s deficit in the final stint of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas, but he also needed a little fortune to take the victory.

Bell and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team finished second to William Byron in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. Pitting for the final time under green with 20 laps to go, Bell cycled out in sixth position, 9s behind the lead. He took third with seven laps to go, now 5.6 seconds behind, and took second with three laps to go.

The gap was 2.7s when he took second place. At the white flag, his Camry was 1.7s behind Byron.

“Obviously, when I got close to him, it was going to be tough to pass him,” Bell said. “I needed a couple of mistakes. William has been really, really good on the road courses, and he was flawless when it mattered today.”

Bell felt at least one more lap would have put him even closer to Byron, but there was no guarantee he would overtake the Hendrick Motorsports driver.

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“It seems like another lap and I would have got there for sure with our DEWALT Camry,” Bell said. “Passing was going to be a little more difficult and I needed him to make a mistake.”

Byron was the dominant car Sunday, leading the most laps (42) from the pole. Bell, however, led nine laps and won the first stage as the team kept to a two-stop strategy.

While the day ended on a high note, it wasn’t smooth for Bell, who spun two of his competitors. The first was contact with Kyle Larson on lap 21.

“I completely take ownership of [that],” Bell said. “I’m completely sorry about that and had no intention of that.”

Bell’s second incident came in the final stage when he got into former teammate Kyle Busch. After the race, Busch confronted Bell on pit road.

“The Kyle Busch incident was a little bit different [from Larson] because I wasn’t trying to make a move or pass him,” Bell said. “He opened his entry up because he was too wide, and I was obviously under him when he came down. I had no intentions of spinning him out at all.”

Byron caps off dominant weekend with controlled COTA victory

William Byron proved untouchable at Circuit of The Americas as he capped off a dominant weekend with a victory Sunday afternoon. The No. 24 Raptor Chevrolet of Hendrick Motorsports was the fastest in NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying, and …

William Byron proved untouchable at Circuit of The Americas as he capped off a dominant weekend with a victory Sunday afternoon.

The No. 24 Raptor Chevrolet of Hendrick Motorsports was the fastest in NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying, and Byron led the most laps in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (42 of 68). He crossed the finish line 0.69s ahead of Christopher Bell after leading the final 18 laps once cycling back to the race lead after green flag pit stops.

 

“I feel like I made a lot of mistakes in the last 10 laps — just little micro errors,” Byron said. “Christopher [Bell] was really fast there on the longer runs, but this sport is just so hard. It’s so difficult to week-in and week-out show up and have fast cars.

“We’ve had a little bit of a rough stretch the last few weeks, but put a lot of prep work in this week and just thankful for the team I have around me, all the people back home as well. … It’s just a lot of fun to win races, and it’s really difficult. We’re going to enjoy this one.”

It’s Byron’s second victory after claiming the season-opening Daytona 500. He’s also won two of the last three road course races in the series.

Byron made his final green flag pit stop with 24 laps to go, giving up the race lead in doing so. Ty Gibbs and Ross Chastain followed Byron down pit road, and a fast pit stop from his Hendrick Motorsports pit crew kept him ahead of the competition.

The pit cycle ended with 18 laps to go when Martin Truex Jr. gave the race lead back to Byron. Once back out front, he had a gap of 1.8s on teammate Alex Bowman, followed by Gibbs in third place.

Bell cycled out sixth. The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team called Bell to pit road for the final time with 20 laps to go, and he came from over 9s behind to hunt down Byron.

Bell won the first stage.

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“Obviously, once I got to him it was going to be tough to pass him,” Bell said of chasing Byron. “Just needed a couple of mistakes. William has been really, really good on the road courses, and he was flawless when it mattered today.”

Gibbs finished third, Bowman, fourth and Tyler Reddick, fifth. AJ Allmendinger finished sixth, Chastain, seventh and Chris Buescher, eighth.

Kyle Busch finished ninth. He recovered from being spun by Bell earlier in the day and confronted his former teammate about the contact after the race.

Truex finished 10th. He led two laps during the pit cycle.

Bubba Wallace finished 15th in a hard-fought day for his 23XI Racing team. Wallace was collected in a lap one incident when Corey LaJoie went wide off the corner and came back onto the racing surface, colliding with Truex and Wallace. Wallace had to pit from the contact and needed additional repairs when given the chance under the stage break.

Denny Hamlin, who won the second stage, finished 14th. Chase Elliott finished 16th. Elliott was called for cutting the course on lap 38 and then spun with 11 laps to go.

Shane van Gisbergen finished 21st and Kamui Kobayashi finished 30th. As in his debut last year in Indianapolis, Kobayashi was spun twice throughout the afternoon.

There were 11 lead changes among seven drivers. NASCAR threw the caution flag twice Sunday, both for stage breaks.

RESULTS

Gibbs looking to ride the hot streak wave on COTA’s twists

If everything is bigger in Texas, Ty Gibbs hopes his NASCAR Cup Series hot streak reaches its crescendo this weekend with his first career victory. Gibbs is third in the championship points standings and leads the series with four top-10 finishes in …

If everything is bigger in Texas, Ty Gibbs hopes his NASCAR Cup Series hot streak reaches its crescendo this weekend with his first career victory.

Gibbs is third in the championship points standings and leads the series with four top-10 finishes in five races. His average finish is 8.8, second only to Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. at 8.6. Truex is a spot ahead of Gibbs in the points standings.

“It’s been great,” Gibbs said. “It’s just been really good. My team has been doing a really good job. We are working really well together. I’ve been having a lot of fun racing in the Cup Series. It’s really cool.”

Circuit of The Americas, the first road course race of the Cup Series season, is a welcome sight for the 21-year-old. He earned four road course wins in the Xfinity Series and has shown similar strength in the Cup Series so far. Last year, Gibbs finished ninth at COTA.

“We’ve been really strong,” Gibbs said. “I feel like last year, we were really good at the road courses. Indy – we were really fast, but we never got a caution again. We’ve been really good at the road courses; just have to hit it right, hit the right thing and then hopefully that will lead to more success.”

“It started on sim racing with my buddy, Austin Green,” Gibbs said about his road course speed. “He’s actually in the Xfinity Series race this weekend for his first time. We would always do those joint sessions together and practice. It could be in any different car. It could be dirt racing, asphalt racing, ovals or road courses – we were always really fast, and he was always just a little bit better than I was, so that is what helped me.

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“Studying it and then having off-seasons to do something else, and not having to race all of the time – I think those are all things that I can say led to my success on road courses. It was the Xfinity Series, not the Cup Series yet. We are still working on that.”

Gibbs qualified second Saturday afternoon at COTA, the second time he’ll start on the front row in three weeks. He entered the weekend having led 194 laps in the last two races (Phoenix Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway).

“It’s really cool,” Gibbs said. “I’ve been going to Bristol since I was a young man. I’ve been there a lot, so to be able to lead laps like I did last year in the night race is really cool. It’s a place that is really special to me.

“It is fun to come run laps there, but at the same time, we are working hard and having fun. We are going there to do the best we can, and if we can’t do the best we can, then we are looking to finish the best that we can.”

Gibbs has six career top-five finishes in 56 starts. A second-place finish at Phoenix Raceway earlier this month was the first time he’s been the runner-up in a Cup Series event.

Byron edges Gibbs to Cup pole at COTA

William Byron earned the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas with a lap of 94.696mph (129.636s) Saturday afternoon – his second pole at the Texas circuit. Five of his 13 career poles in the Cup Series have been on a road …

William Byron earned the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas with a lap of 94.696mph (129.636s) Saturday afternoon — his second pole at the Texas circuit. Five of his 13 career poles in the Cup Series have been on a road course.

Ty Gibbs qualified second at 94.685mph. Gibbs was on a flying lap as the session came to a close but slipped at the end of his lap and missed taking the pole.

Tyler Reddick qualified third (94.565mph) and is the defending race winner.

Christopher Bell qualified fourth (94.482mph) and Corey LaJoie, fifth (94.096mph). It was a career-best qualifying effort for LaJoie, who will start inside the top five for the first time.

Ross Chastain qualified sixth (94.949mph), Martin Truex Jr., seventh (93.773mph), Denny Hamlin, eighth (93.604mph), Chase Elliott, ninth (93.420mph) and Bubba Wallace, 10th (85.505mph).

Wallace spun on his qualifying lap in the final round.

No Ford drivers made the cut into the final round. Austin Cindric was the highest-qualifying Ford driver in 11th.

Shane van Gisbergen qualified 12th. AJ Allmendinger qualified 14th. Both are in Kaulig Racing entries this weekend.

Kamui Kobayashi qualified 25th for his second Cup Series start.

NEXT: The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday.

RESULTS