WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Hendrick Motorsports swept the front row for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International.
Chase Elliott took the pole position (125.147 mph) in the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The pole is the Dawsonville, Georgia, native’s third of the season and 12th of his career.
"Our No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet has been solid," Elliott said. "I feel like we had some work to do there from where we were in practice. I felt like there were a couple parts of the track I want to put together better, it’s just really hard to hit it all. It’s just so fast, the pace is so high. And this car here, I feel like from what I remember and how much throttle you’re carrying, a little bit carries with you a long way."
PHOTOS: Scenes from Elliott, No. 9 team's pole at Watkins Glen
The 26-year-old's pole is the sixth of the season for Hendrick Motorsports and the team’s third on a road course this season. Larson grabbed the pole at Sonoma Raceway in June, while Elliott got the pole at Road America. It is also the second straight weekend that the Rick Hendrick-owned company will be on the pole for the Cup Series as Kyle Larson earned the top spot at Richmond Raceway last week. As an organization, the team has 237 poles – the most in the sport’s top series.
Elliott enters this weekend with seven road course wins, which are the best among active drivers. Two of those victories have come at the seven-turn, 2.45-mile road course – including one from the top starting spot in 2019.
Larson will join Elliott on the front row in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as he will line up second (125.078 mph). The Elk Grove, California, native is the defending race winner and scored three road course wins as part of his 2021 championship run.
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William Byron will start fourth in the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Byron has two top 10s in three starts at this particular road course. However, on race-day it was determined that he would have to drop to the rear.
Alex Bowman will take to the grid from the 11th position in the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. He had a runner-up finish at the season's first road course - Circuit of The Americas.
Hendrick Motorsports had a strong showing in group practice with three cars placing in the top four and all four cars in the top 10. Larson led practice with a best lap of 123.715 mph and was also the leader on the 10-lap average board. Elliott placed second, Byron finished fourth and Bowman rounded out the top 10.
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The No. 5 team failed pre-qualifying inspection twice. Per the NASCAR rulebook, car chief Jesse Saunders has been ejected and the team will lose its pit stall selection for Sunday’s race.
Elliott is looking to lock up the regular season championship this weekend. The driver of the No. 9 enters with a 116-point lead over Ryan Blaney and must leave the New York road course with a 61-point advantage to clinch that honor. With the achievement, comes 15 playoff points that will be added to his total when the points reset following the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 27.
Larson’s win last year at Watkins Glen came in an event that saw Hendrick Motorsports finish first, second (Elliott) and sixth (Byron). The victory extended the organization’s winning streak at the 2.45-mile venue to three with Elliott’s victories in 2018 and 2019 - there was no 2020 race due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s the second time the team has won three in a row at this track, with Jeff Gordon scoring triumphs there from 1997 to 1999.
PHOTOS: Road course winners for Hendrick Motorsports
At 25 wins, Hendrick Motorsports has the most all-time triumphs on road courses in Cup Series history. Nine of those victories have come at Watkins Glen - most among all Cup Series teams. Gordon’s four wins are the most for the squad followed by the two for Elliott. Tim Richmond, Ricky Rudd and Larson each have one win at the track near New York’s Finger Lakes region. The team's eight poles at Watkins Glen are also the most by any one organization at this facility.
Tune in on Sunday for the second-to-last race of the 2022 Cup Series regular season. The action starts at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network with radio coverage on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).