FORT WORTH, Tex. – For the third consecutive weekend, Kyle Larson grabbed the pole position for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. This is also Hendrick Motorsports' 250th pole position in the Cup Series.
Larson's lap of 190.369 mph in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 earned him his third pole of the season and the 19th of his Cup Series career. He has contributed 11 poles to the organization's total of 250, which ranks seventh among all drivers in team history. The 250 poles have come from 20 drivers and across 31 different tracks.
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"Cool to get three poles in a row," Larson said. "I said on the radio after the first lap that is about the most intense thing you can do or experience because it is so on edge and you know how much throttle time you have to have to run fast.
"The 250th pole for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series, which is amazing. I'm glad I can contribute to some sort of numbers since William (Byron) has been stealing all the thunder here lately. A great day and really happy to get a pole. Honestly, since we've gone to the Next Gen car this has been a place that I have really struggled at in qualifying and committing into turn one. I told myself I was going to commit today and it paid off."
PHOTOS: Scenes from Larson's third consecutive pole
In practice, Larson posted the third-fastest time (189.076 mph). The 31-year-old driver had the best 15-lap consecutive average and the second-best 10-lap average. He enters this race with back-to-back top-five finishes on the year and holds the points lead in the sport's top series. In 16 starts at Texas, Larson has one win (2021), four top-five finishes and six top-10s. He was in contention for the win in last year's race at Texas, leading 99 laps before a late-race incident ended his day.
William Byron will take the starting grid from the sixth spot (189.713 mph) in the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Byron is fresh off his third win of the 2024 season, which came in Hendrick Motorsports' 40th anniversary race. He enters the race sitting fourth in the point standings. In nine starts at Texas, Byron has one win (2023), two top-five finishes and five top-10s. The 26-year-old driver has three straight top-seven finishes at the Fort Worth, Texas track. Byron posted the fourth-best 15-lap consecutive average and fifth-best 10-lap average in practice.
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Alex Bowman will line up 14th in the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. In practice, Bowman was fifth on the speed chart (188.772 mph). The 30-year-old driver has a pair of fifth-place finishes in 14 starts at Texas. He enters this race with two top-five finishes and three top-10s in his last four 2024 starts. That strong run of late has put him 10th in the Cup Series points standings.
Chase Elliott takes the green flag from the 24th spot in the field in the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Elliott has two top-five finishes and six top-10s in 13 starts at Texas. His best finish at the 1.5-mile facility was a fourth-place run in the fall of 2016. The 28-year-old enters this weekend with back-to-back top-five finishes on the season, leading him to sixth in the points standings.
With 11 points-paying wins at Texas Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports is the most victorious team at the track. Jimmie Johnson accounts for seven of those and holds the track record for most Cup Series wins. Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte, Byron and Larson each have one win at the 1.5-mile venue. Byron's victory last fall served as the 300th Cup Series win for Hendrick Motorsports.
PHOTOS: See every win for Hendrick Motorsports at Texas
Team owner Rick Hendrick's six wins on 1.5-mile tracks in the Next Gen car lead all organizations in the Cup Series. Since 2022, Larson has three wins on 1.5-mile tracks, while Byron has two victories and they are two of the four drivers with multiple victories on that track length. In addition, Larson (566) and Byron (564) rank one-two in points earned on 1.5-milers in the Next Gen era. Additionally, Bowman has one triumph on this track length in this period. Earlier this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Larson scored the victory in the series' lone 2024 race at a 1.5-mile layout.
Tune in to watch the ninth race of the 2024 season, taking place at Texas, on Sunday, April 14, at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
