After a little rain, Gibbs zoomed to the top of the leaderboard in the final round of Saturday’s qualifying. He went really fast, with an average speed of 183.953 mph – the quickest lap of the day.
This is Gibbs’ first time starting at the front in a Cup race, and it’s happening in his 65th start driving Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 54 Toyota. He also started at the front in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race.
Gibbs said, “It’s really cool to get my first pole in the Coca Cola 600. I’m super excited. I hope I can turn it into my first win tomorrow.” He had been second a few times this season before.
William Byron from Hendrick Motorsports came in second (183.580 mph), and Gibbs’ teammate Christopher Bell was third (183.461 mph).
Another teammate, Martin Truex Jr., was fourth, and Chase Elliott finished fifth.
The top-10 starting lineup includes Alex Bowman, Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick, Michael McDowell, and Kyle Larson. Larson is trying to be the fifth driver ever to race both the Indy 500 and Coke 600 on the same day.
Reddick will start Sunday night’s race from the back of the field. His No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota got a penalty from NASCAR for breaking a rule during pre-qualifying inspection.
