Kyle Larson Edges Out Chase Elliott To Secure Busch Light Pole Position At Richmond

On Saturday afternoon Kyle Larson secured pole position for the upcoming Toyota Owner’s 400 at Richmond Raceway, marking his inaugural pole of the 2024 campaign. This achievement positioned the Hendrick Motorsports team at the forefront, with an all-Hendrick front row set for the Sunday event scheduled at 7 p.m. ET, to be broadcast on FOX, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Larson achieved a lap time of 22.438 seconds, translating to a speed of 120.332 mph, narrowly surpassing the effort of Chase Elliott, his team colleague, who clocked in at 22.440 seconds or 120.321 mph on the three-quarter mile track. This feat granted Larson, the victor of the 2021 Cup Series and the previous year’s Richmond race, the 17th pole of his career.

“Definitely helps for sure. Having the No. 1 pit stall here means a lot. So happy to do that. Happy to be in Group A for sure, and then the sun coming out a little bit there helps.

“Chase got real close there, so I was a bit nervous. Awesome day for Hendrick Motorsports. Good to be on the pole. We’ll see if it translates in tomorrow’s race,” said Larson.

Behind Larson and Elliott, Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing clinched the third starting spot, with Hendrick’s Alex Bowman and 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace completing the top five starters.

The top-10 of the starting grid was rounded out by Todd Gilliland of Front Row Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs, as well as Team Penske’s Austin Cindric and Joey Logano. Notably, Logano had shown remarkable pace in Group A during the initial round of qualifying, and Elliott had recorded the fastest lap in that segment.

Denny Hamlin, a four-time winner at Richmond, narrowly missed the cut for the second round of qualifying and will commence the race from the 11th position driving the No. 11 car for Joe Gibbs Racing. Positioned close behind is Ryan Blaney of Team Penske, who demonstrated impressive consistency in practice.

William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports, fresh off a victory at the Circuit of The Americas and a multi-race winner this season with triumphs at both Daytona 500 and COTA, will start in the 13th spot. He is joined by Chris Buescher of RFK Racing, last season’s summer race victor at Richmond.

Kyle Busch, a Richard Childress Racing driver with a record of six wins at Richmond, more than any other active driver, is set to start in the 15th position.

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