DARLINGTON, S.C. — William Byron became the first Cup driver to score multiple poles this season after claiming the top starting spot for Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway.
MORE: Darlington starting lineup
Byron won his 15th career Cup pole with a lap of 170.904 mph.
“I felt good about it today,” Byron said. “We had a good plan going into practice. I feel like we’re always strong here. It’s a really good track for our team and myself and just trying to find a decent balance.”
Byron will be joined on the front row by Ryan Preece, who earned his best starting spot of the season with a lap of 170.407 mph.
Martinsville winner Denny Hamlin (170.354 mph) qualified third. Chase Briscoe, who won last year’s Southern 500, will start fourth after a lap of 170.283 mph. Bubba Wallace (170.189) qualified fifth.
While Byron will lead the field to the green flag Sunday, his Hendrick Motorsports teammates did not fare as well in qualifying. Chase Elliott will start 15th, Kyle Larson will start 19th and Alex Bowman will start 33rd.
