INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tyler Reddick took advantage of the final qualifying run Saturday to post the fastest lap in the final round of qualifying and earn his first Brickyard 400 pole.
The 28-year-old completed the 2.5-mile oval in 49.469 seconds in his No. 45 Toyota, just a touch faster than points leader Chase Elliott, who was clocked at 49.504 in the No. 9 Ford.
It’s the eighth career pole for Reddick, who had the fastest car in practice Friday and entered this week third in the standings, 15 points behind Elliott.
“Qualifying today seemed a little sketchy for all the Cup drivers, so I just tried to be mindful of that. But I knew what my lap time was. It’s just really cool,” Reddick said. “I’ve always been on the other end of this. It’s nice to be on the inside for once. It’s a big deal for us.”
The top five in the Cup standings will start from the first five positions, although not in the same order.
Denny Hamlin qualified second while Elliott will start third — just ahead of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron on Sunday. Larson is starting his second race on Indy’s oval this season, having qualified fifth at the Indianapolis 500.
Hamlin drives the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing and Reddick’s car is owned by 23XI Racing.
—-
This corrects the starting positions for Denny Hamlin to second and Chase Elliott to third.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
