Byron will start from pole in quest for first Cup Series title
William Byron will start from the pole today at Phoenix Raceway, trying to win his first NASCAR Cup Series championship and give the famed No. 24 Chevrolet its first title since Jeff Gordon in 2001.
Byron turned a lap at 132.597 mph Saturday in qualifying to earn the top starting spot. The Hendrick Motorsports driver won the Phoenix race in the spring and a sweep today would give him the Cup in his first appearance in NASCAR's final four.
“I feel like we have something to race with,” said Byron, who had Gordon watching his qualifying effort from pit road. Gordon won four championships driving the No. 24.
“It's great to have Jeff here and his support,” said Byron, “but I'm not thinking about (winning in the 24) when I'm driving.”
Kyle Larson qualified fourth in another Chevy from Hendrick, while Christopher Bell will start 13th in a Toyota from Joe Gibbs Racing and Ryan Blaney will start 15th in a Ford from Team Penske. The highest-finishing driver among the final four will be crowned champion.
“I am not counting out Blaney or Bell at all,” Larson said. “It's a long race, so they will overcome wherever they start from and I'm sure they will drive through the field. It's the final four and most everybody shows respect on the racetrack and gives a lot of space, so I think they'll find their way to the front pretty quickly.”
Blaney is a winner of two of the last five playoff races who has back-to-back runner-up finishes at Phoenix,
“We have our work cut out for us,” said Blaney, who is trying to give Roger Penske back-to-back titles after teammate Joey Logano won last year.
Bell wasn't at all bummed about his qualifying effort because he knows his Toyota has speed, and, he's never before won a Cup race from the pole.
“I'm probably more optimistic,” Bell said. “I think the starting position is less of a factor because the race is 312 laps and in practice my car showed great pace and that leaves me feeling very optimistic.”
Xfinity Series
Cole Custer pulled away from Justin Allgaier during a two-lap overtime shootout to win his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship Saturday night at Phoenix Raceway.
It was an exhilirating finish, with Custer, Allgaier and John Hunter Nemechek three-wide on the next-to-last lap, with Allgaier's JR Motorsports Chevrolet finding some room in between the other two cars. But Custer — who went to the inside — pulled away while the others battled for position.
“I can't believe we won that thing,” Custer said.
It was a sweet moment for the 25-year-old Custer, who had a Cup ride for the Ford Stewart-Haas Racing team the past three seasons before being demoted this year to the Xfinity Series. It's also a bright spot in a tough season for the Stewart-Haas racing, which hasn't won a race in the Cup Series this season.