LAS VEGAS – Kyle Larson will begin the Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on the front row.
With a lap of 186.271 mph, Larson's No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 set the second-fastest time during the final round of qualifying. This marks his sixth front-row starting spot of the 2023 season. With only three races remaining before the NASCAR Cup Series crowns a champion in Phoenix, the intensity is heating up throughout the garage. Larson holds a three-point edge on the cutline at the start of the round.
"My car feels really good," Larson said. "Happy to get on the front row. Obviously, would like to get the pole but (Christopher) Bell and their team have a lot of speed in qualifying. Our HendrickCars.com Chevy felt good in practice, so we'll see what we've got for tomorrow."
Right behind Larson on speed was William Byron in the No. 24 Relay Payments Chevy. The most recent winner at Las Vegas ended the final round of qualifying with a speed of 186.181 mph. He will start inside the top four for the 11th time this season. Byron's 4.40 average finish on 1.5-mile tracks is the best in the series. With a 20-point cushion over the cutline, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native will aim to leave the Nevada desert locked into the Championship 4 via a win.
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Alex Bowman missed the final round of qualifying one spot in Group A. The No. 48 Ally Racing team will start in the 14th spot at Las Vegas. In his last two starts at the 1.5-mile track, Bowman has an average finish of 2.00.
Chase Elliott will start 35th in the No. 9 LLumar Chevy. Roughly halfway through Group A practice, the No. 9 entry cut a right rear tire and made contact with the outside wall. The team will go to a backup car for Sunday afternoon's main event. The No. 9 team remains in the mix for the owner championship and is 19 points below the cutline.
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Christopher Bell won the pole for Sunday's main event at Las Vegas.
All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers set top-11 lap times during practice on Saturday. Elliott posted the fourth-fastest time at 185.459 mph. He was followed closely by Byron, who posted a best lap of 185.401 mph. Larson posted the eighth-fastest lap of the session. Shortly after, he radioed his team that he had a vibration and quickly brought the car to pit road. The No. 5 HendrickCars.com team was able to diagnose the problem as a tire issue before any damage was done to the vehicle. Bowman rounded out the quartet as the 11th-quickest driver in practice.
On the 10-lap consecutive average board, Larson and Byron were at the top in first and second, respectively. Elliott ranked fifth in that category.
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In all, Hendrick Motorsports will go for its ninth victory at Las Vegas on Sunday. Jimmie Johnson leads the team with four wins, while team vice chairman Jeff Gordon, Byron, Larson and Bowman each account for one win towards the total. Byron's spring race win highlighted a one-two-three finish for Hendrick Motorsports.
Tune in on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, NBC Sports App, PRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) to catch all of the action from Las Vegas.