Chevrolets lay down marker in first glimpse of new – Sports News
Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott is the reigning Clash winner (Image: Getty)
Any considerations about NASCAR Cup Series groups needing time to regulate to the newly modified Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 physique this season have been swiftly brushed apart on Wednesday, when qualifying for the annual Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium lastly passed off after two snow delays.
With the race initially scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 1, the race has been pushed back twice on account of heavy snowfall in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Thankfully, the observe and grandstands have been cleared, thanks in half to each Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Todd Gilliland, who each lent serving to palms in the method, and qualifying was in a position to happen on Wednesday afternoon.
Of the 20 drivers to make it via on the first attempt, half have been on the wheel of Chevrolets, whereas six of the highest 10 have been Toyotas, and the remaining 4 have been the soon-to-be-replaced Fords.
Both of the highest two have been, in reality, Chevys, with Hendrick Motorsports’ reigning two-time champion Kyle Larson qualifying on pole with a 14.137 forward of teammate William Byron at 14.141, with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs in third with a 14.146 in his Toyota Camry XSE.
Gibbs’ three JGR teammates, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin, rounded out the highest six in that order. Behind them was 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, additionally powered by Toyota, with RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher the very best qualifying Ford in ninth, whereas Ross Chastain’s Trackhouse Racing Toyota got here home in tenth.
Hendricks’ Kyle Larson certified on pole for the Cook Out Clash (Image: Getty)
Chase Elliott, Carson Hocevar, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Ryan Blaney, Shane van Gisbergen, Ryan Preece, Connor Zillisch, and Daniel Suarez additionally made the cut, in that order.
Speaking to FOX Sports after qualifying, Larson admitted of the upcoming 75-lap Last Chance Qualifying (LCQ) race, “It’ll be fun to be a fan and actually get to watch it, because that’s a really stressful race, at least it was for me last year.
“Caught a bit off guard there. I was not expecting to get the pole. And we have lap times on our dash, I never saw anything close to a 13 on my dash. The quickest I saw was, like, a 23, I think.
“So I was like, ‘Oh, I mean, at least I’m in the show, but it’s not very good.’ And then so I was, like, trying to push. And then (crew chief) Cliff [Daniels] came on and said we were, you know, quick time for the moment. So I was like, ‘Wow, I wish I would have had the proper lap time on my dash, because I maybe could have went a little bit better if I had just settled down.’”
Larson went on so as to add that whereas he was “glad” to have certified nicely, “a lot can go on,” noting the increase in horsepower from 670 to 750 for this race – a newly carried out change for all tracks beneath 1.5 miles in size in addition to all highway programs this season.
The 33-year-old finally concluded, “I feel like we’ve made our car better throughout practice, so hopefully we can have a decent shot here.”
As for the LCQ, the highest two drivers will make it to the principle occasion, with a third spot awarded to the highest-scoring driver from the 2025 season neglected. Ahead of the LCW, this could place Hendricks’ Alex Bowman in the principle occasion.
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