KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Alex Bowman will start Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway as the highest running driver from Hendrick Motorsports.
The 29-year-old’s lap of 29.964 seconds was quick enough to earn the Tucson, Arizona, native the third starting position on the grid. The No. 48 Ally Racing team is looking to build off their top-10 finish from last weekend’s playoff opener at Darlington Raceway. Historically, Bowman has run well at Kansas, only finishing outside the top-11 spots twice in his ten starts with Hendrick Motorsports at the facility.
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Both Kyle Larson and William Byron also advanced to the final round of qualifying. As for the defending Cup Series champion, he will roll off in the seventh position after posting a lap time of 30.142 seconds. Directly in his rearview mirror will be his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native’s lap of 30.180 seconds landed him in the ninth position.
Chase Elliott will roll off 22nd on the grid for tomorrow’s race. Elliott is looking to gain momentum after last weekend’s event at Darlington ended early for him in stage one.
Tyler Reddick won the pole position for Sunday’s 400-mile race.
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Headed into Kansas, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers sit above the playoff cutline. With an eighth-place finish, that included a stage victory, Byron sits as the highest driver of the quartet. The 24-year-old driver moved into second place in the playoff standings, 32 points above the cutoff line. Larson (+17) sits seventh in the standings, Elliott (+14) is ninth and Bowman (+10) is in 10th. Following next weekend’s Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the bottom four playoff drivers in the standings will be eliminated from championship contention.
As an organization, Hendrick Motorsports has tasted victory eight times in the Cup Series at Kansas Speedway. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson each tallied three wins over the course of their careers, with Elliott and Larson accounting for a single victory. The Elliott (2018) and Larson (2021) wins come in playoff races - one of 53 wins that the organization has in the postseason.
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Tune in for the 400-mile main event at 6 p.m. ET this Sunday with coverage on USA Network, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).