Kyle Larson, Pole Winner for the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway – Team Chevy Photo
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER
1st – Kyle Larson
7th – William Byron
8th – Daniel Suarez
9th – Chase Elliott
· For the first time this season and 22nd time in his NASCAR Cup
Series career, Kyle Larson will lead the NASCAR Cup Series to the green
flag in tomorrow’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. Concluding
practice with the best 10 consecutive lap average, the 32-year-old, Elk
Grove, California, native backed up the performance with a qualifying
lap of 29.391 seconds, at 183.730 mph, in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com
Chevrolet to earn the pole position.
· The pole marks Chevrolet’s 14th all-time at Kansas Speedway
and seventh thus far this season in NASCAR’s top division – both of
which are series-leading feats. Kyle Larson has kept Chevrolet
undefeated in pole wins on non-drafting intermediate ovals, with the
2021 Champion delivering the manufacturer its fifth pole triumph on the
configuration – joining the list of Michael McDowell’s pole win at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Alex Bowman’s Homestead-Miami Speedway pole,
William Byron’s Darlington Raceway pole and Carson Hocevar’s Texas
Motor Speedway pole.
Chevrolet’s all-time NASCAR Cup Series statistics at Kansas Speedway:
Wins: 15
Poles: 14
Top-Fives: 75
Top-10s: 165
Chevrolet’s season statistics in advance of the 12th NASCAR Cup Series race:
Wins: 3
Poles: 7
Top-Fives: 22
Top 10s: 53
Stage Wins: 9
Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet – Pole Winner Quotes
Kyle, you finally won a pole here at Kansas Speedway after winning the
closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series’ history at this racetrack one
year ago. Walk us through your qualifying lap.
“Yeah, the qualifying lap felt really good. You’re watching SMT and
you can see the drivers are starting to hold it easy wide open in
(turns) one and two. In three and four, some guys were getting tight and
(Chris) Buescher was able to run a good three and four. I kind of had a
plan on the line that I wanted to run and just try to match it with the
throttle.
Thankfully, everything went great. My balance felt really good. I felt
like I hit my marks and came up to speed through three and four good. It
was a perfect feeling lap.”
Ironic or weird or what about the fact that you’re starting right beside
Chris Buescher? Will it bring back memories or thoughts of last year?
“I mean, it’s definitely ironic and really cool. I think it adds to
the storyline of what happened last year. You’ll probably build some
anticipation for the race tomorrow. But yeah, I won’t be thinking about
it, I guess, when we’re rolling around under caution. But yeah, it’s
just ironic, funny and cool all at the same time.”
Have you seen the butterfly effect storyline out there? Basically, if
Chris Buescher beat you, then Joey Logano wouldn’t have won the
championship. Because Buescher would have had enough playoff points to
be the one that got in when Bowman got DQ’d. So you helped Joey Logano
win the championship..
“(Laughs) That’s crazy. I wish my bank account could use some bonus
money from Joey (Logano).
That’s crazy, that’s crazy. But it’s racing, so… wow. If I had won a
couple more times, I would have been in the Final Four, too (laughs)”.