Led by William Byron, Hendrick sweeps Charlotte Roval front row
Whether oval or Roval, William Byron has been fast this season at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Byron’s average lap speed of 103.198 mph in the final 10-minute session of group qualifying gave him the pole for Sunday’s Bank of America 400 on Charlotte’s 17-turn, 2.28-mile combination oval and infield road course.
Byron, 21, also won the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May.
Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports’ teammate, Alex Bowman, ended up second-fastest (103.078 mph) and will join him on the front row. Joey Logano ended up third (103.027 mph).
Jimmie Johnson was fourth, giving HMS three of the top-five starting positions, and Clint Bowyer ended up fifth after missing the backstretch chicane on his first attempt in the final round.
The pole is the fifth of Byron’s NASCAR Cup Series career, all coming this season.
“The guys did a great job with this car. It really takes every corner getting around this race track to get a pole,” Byron said. “I knew we could qualify in the top-five but I was really wanting a pole and really kind of went out there and got it.
“Max (Papis) and I were out at the karting track on Monday and we took (crew chief) Chad (Knaus) out there with us and it helped. He did a good job.
“You know, road courses were a big struggle for me when I first started racing and I’ve progressively gotten better and I really enjoy them now. Now, it’s all about racing and it’s good to have two hometown poles – that’s pretty cool.”
Byron has started on the front row of all three road courses this season (he started second at both Sonoma and Watkins Glen).
Rounding out the top-12 starters are Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Paul Menard, Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher.
Round 1
Byron led a Chevrolet sweep of the top three positions in the first round with an average lap speed of 103.237 mph.
Larson was second (103.175 mph) and Johnson was third (102.612 mph). Bowyer was fourth and Keselowski rounded out the top-five.
Also advancing to the final round were Bowman, Buescher, Logano, Harvick, Truex, Blaney and Menard.
About 13 minutes into the session, Elliott locked up his rear-tires in the frontstretch chicane and spun out but didn’t do any damage to his No. 9 Chevrolet.
Elliott ended up 19th-fastest in the session.
Among those failing to advance were Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, Kyle Busch, Elliott, Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin.
| Cla | # | Driver | Manufacturer | Time | Gap | Mph | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 |  William Byron | Chevrolet | 1'20.932 | 103.198 | ||
| 2 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Chevrolet | 1'21.026 | 0.094 | 103.078 | |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | 1'21.058 | 0.126 | 103.037 | |
| 4 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 1'21.172 | 0.240 | 102.893 | |
| 5 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Ford | 1'21.215 | 0.283 | 102.838 | |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Ford | 1'21.576 | 0.644 | 102.383 | |
| 7 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | 1'21.595 | 0.663 | 102.359 | |
| 8 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | 1'22.068 | 1.136 | 101.769 | |
| 9 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Ford | 1'22.094 | 1.162 | 101.737 | |
| 10 | 21 | Paul Menard | Ford | 1'22.215 | 1.283 | 101.587 | |
| 11 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 1'22.297 | 1.365 | 101.486 | |
| 12 | 37 | Chris Buescher | Chevrolet | 1'22.327 | 1.395 | 101.449 | |
| 13 | 41 |  Daniel Suarez | Ford | 1'21.920 | 0.988 | 101.953 | |
| 14 | 47 | Ryan Preece | Chevrolet | 1'21.928 | 0.996 | 101.943 | |
| 15 | 20 | Erik Jones | Toyota | 1'21.973 | 1.041 | 101.887 | |
| 16 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 1'21.978 | 1.046 | 101.881 | |
| 17 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 1'21.986 | 1.054 | 101.871 | |
| 18 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Toyota | 1'21.993 | 1.061 | 101.862 | |
| 19 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Chevrolet | 1'22.098 | 1.166 | 101.732 | |
| 20 | 8 | Daniel Hemric | Chevrolet | 1'22.127 | 1.195 | 101.696 | |
| 21 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ford | 1'22.232 | 1.30 | 101.566 | |
| 22 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 1'22.252 | 1.320 | 101.542 | |
| 23 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | 1'22.317 | 1.385 | 101.461 | |
| 24 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Ford | 1'22.572 | 1.640 | 101.148 | |
| 25 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | Chevrolet | 1'22.582 | 1.650 | 101.136 | |
| 26 | 32 | Corey Lajoie | Ford | 1'22.630 | 1.698 | 101.077 | |
| 27 | 38 | David Ragan | Ford | 1'23.088 | 2.156 | 100.520 | |
| 28 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 1'23.099 | 2.167 | 100.507 | |
| 29 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Chevrolet | 1'23.121 | 2.189 | 100.480 | |
| 30 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet | 1'23.232 | 2.30 | 100.346 | |
| 31 | 51 | Cody Ware | Chevrolet | 1'24.220 | 3.288 | 99.169 | |
| 32 | 00 | Landon Cassill | Chevrolet | 1'24.690 | 3.758 | 98.618 | |
| 33 | 66 | Timmy Hill | Toyota | 1'25.315 | 4.383 | 97.896 | |
| 34 | 53 | Josh Bilicki | Chevrolet | 1'25.572 | 4.640 | 97.602 | |
| 35 | 52 | Garrett Smithley | Chevrolet | 1'25.782 | 4.850 | 97.363 | |
| 36 | 15 | Ross Chastain | Chevrolet | ||||
| 37 | 36 | Matt Tifft | Ford | ||||
| 38 | 77 | Reed Sorenson | Chevrolet | ||||
| 39 | 27 | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | ||||
| 40 | 96 | Parker Kligerman | Toyota |
Previous article
IndyCar on Jimmie Johnson’s bucket list, but Indy 500 unlikely
Next article
Newgarden wanted to "put on a little bit of a show" at Roval
About this article
| Series | NASCAR Cup |
| Event | Charlotte II |
| Drivers | William Byron |
| Teams | Hendrick Motorsports |
| Author | Jim Utter |
From the archive: Dale Earnhardt’s final Autosport interview
The death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500 shocked NASCAR to the core. At the Daytona 24 Hours, two weeks before his fatal accident, ‘The Intimidator’ shared his expectations of challenging for an eighth Cup title with JONATHAN INGRAM, in an article first published in the 15 February 2001 issue of Autosport magazine. Little did we know then what tragedy would unfold…
The lasting NASCAR legacy after Dale Earnhardt’s death
On February 18, 2001, seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Dale Earnhardt – the fearless ‘Intimidator’ – was in his element at Daytona International Speedway. While his own DEI team’s cars ran 1-2 towards the finish line, his famed #3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo was playing rear gunner to block any late runs from the chasing pack. As the cars tore through Turns 3 and 4 on that fateful final lap, Earnhardt maintained the strongarm tactics that encapsulated his persona… but his actions in those moments sadly proved to be his last.
Inspired by Pitbull, the “revolution” sweeping through NASCAR
The NASCAR Cup Series is changing. Whether it be the gradual morphing out the seasoned drivers of yesterday as the next generation step up, a radical calendar shake-up featuring more road courses than ever before and the prospect of an all-new car on the horizon, stock car racing’s highest level is nearing the end of a huge facelift.
The NASCAR storylines to watch out for in 2021
This weekend's Daytona 500 kickstarts a NASCAR Cup season that promises plenty of intrigue courtesy of new owners and a refreshed calendar. Here's what you need to know ahead of the new season…
Why Kyle Larson can't blow his big shot at redemption
From a disgraced NASCAR exile, Kyle Larson has been given a chance of redemption by the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports squad. Effectively replacing seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson is no easy billing, but Larson has every intention of repaying the team's faith...
Why Roger Penske is an American motorsport icon
In this exclusive one-on-one interview, Roger Penske reveals the inner drive that has made him not only a hugely successful team owner and businessman but also the owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar. He spoke to David Malsher-Lopez.
Why NASCAR's latest second-generation champion is just getting started
Chase Elliott's late charge to the 2020 NASCAR Cup title defied predictions that it would be a Kevin Harvick versus Denny Hamlin showdown. While the two veterans are showing no signs of slowing down, Elliott's triumph was a window into NASCAR's future…
Why Kyle Larson deserves his second chance in a cancel culture
“You can’t hear me? Hey n*****” Those fateful words uttered by Kyle Larson, spoken into his esports headset on April 12, were directed at his sim racing spotter – but instead they quickly became amplified around the world via social media, including his own Twitch stream.
