Tyler Reddick bounced off the wall in the first round of NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Richmond Raceway before coming back in the second round to earn the pole for Sunday’s Cook Out 400.
Reddick claimed the top spot with a lap of 113.749 mph (23.749 seconds). It is Reddick’s first pole win of the season and first at Richmond.
The 23XI Racing driver hit the wall on the frontstretch coming to finish his lap in the first round of qualifying. Reddick ran out of room coming off Turn 4 but didn’t lift, and the lap advanced him into the final round.
Although there was damage to the right rear and right front of his Toyota, it didn’t keep Reddick from the final round of qualifying. Reddick is hopeful the team will not need to make significant repairs and force him to start at the rear of the field.
Some words from mister P1 himself 👀 pic.twitter.com/Oyp1cdhaSW
— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) July 29, 2023
Kyle Busch qualified second at 113.636 mph. Virginia native Denny Hamlin qualified third at 113.536 mph.
Chase Elliott qualified fourth at 113.503 mph. Not only is it Elliott’s best qualifying effort of the season, but the first time the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet will start inside the top five.
Bubba Wallace was fifth at 113.374 mph and William Byron sixth at 113.369 mph. Ty Gibbs qualified seventh at 113.355 mph. Kevin Harvick, the defending race winner, qualified eighth. Harvick’s lap was 113.246 mph.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. qualified ninth at 112.843 mph and Martin Truex Jr. qualified 10th at 112.622 mph.
Noah Gragson earned a 12th-place starting position in the No. 42 Chevrolet. It is just the second time Gragson will start inside the top-15.
Michael McDowell, who is on the Cup Series playoff grid bubble, qualified 18th. BJ McLeod qualified 21st in his Live Fast Motorsports Ford.
In his first Cup Series qualifying effort, Derek Kraus was 36th fastest in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. AJ Allmendinger was going to start at the rear of the field anyway because he will be in the car Sunday after competing in the Xfinity Series.