NASCAR News: Larson beats Gibbs – wins Cup pole in Texas

Kyle Larson turned a lap of 28.366s 190.369mph in his #5 Hendrick Chevy to win pole for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 NASCAR Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.

It was Larson’s third straight NASCAR Cup pole position.

Repost to congratulate Kyle Larson on his NASCAR Cup Series POLE at Texas! It’s his third of the season. #NASCARonFS1 https://t.co/SbWpTQIbmR pic.twitter.com/H7XHifrJoA

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 13, 2024

Ty Gibbs starts on the outside of the front row, just 0.035s behind Larson in his Joe Gibbs Racing #54 Toyota.

Gibbs was followed by two more Toyota drivers – teammate Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick.

Chase Briscoe rounded out the top-5 in his #14 Ford just ahead of the #24 Hendrick Chevy of William Byron.

The feat marked yet another milestone achievement for Hendrick Motorsports with Larson delivering the Chevrolet organization its 250th all-time pole in NASCAR’s premier series.

This marks Larson’s third consecutive pole win of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, also extending Chevrolet’s pole streak to four-straight in the series – a run that dates back to his teammate William Byron’s pole at Circuit of The Americas (March 24, 2024).

The pole marks Chevrolet’s 16th all-time NASCAR Cup Series pole at Texas Motor Speedway, and the manufacturer’s 747th all-time pole in NASCAR’s premier series – both of which are series-leading records.

Washed up Jimmie Johnson crashes in Practice

JIMMIE JOHNSON, No. 84 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB

Great to see you , but I hate talking to you after that incident. What happened? Is it because the car is so different?

“It is a bit different – there is no doubt. I felt like we did a nice job trying to get me ready in the simulator. Unfortunately, I just got a little loose in turn one – I caught it – but it is such a narrow lane, that once I caught the car I was in the wall, and I was kind of along with the ride then. We’ve got the car in the garage area – there is no doubt the AdventHealth Toyota won’t make qualifying, but it’s unclear if it’s a back-up car or just fixing the body and the right rear corner.”

Did you give any of Kyle Larson’s INDYCAR testing or give any advice on it?

“I didn’t watch, but I checked in on social media and saw that he had a good day. Certainly, excited for him. I didn’t talk to him before or after that specific test, but before Phoenix – maybe after Phoenix – I talked with him, just checking in to see what he thinks on the car and the experience. Looks like he’s off to a good start.”

What do you think will be his biggest challenge?
“Getting back and forth. The stress and time commitment. I was really surprised how much time is required to get through the month of May – which is just a couple of weeks of May at the track in Indy itself. Thankfully, the NASCAR schedule is much more relaxed – I guess Larson has a weekend of racing before as well. I think travel and being able to spend the time that he would want in Indy – that is going to be compromised a bit. It depends on weather in Indy. If it’s dry and Larson can get all of the laps that he intends to get, I think that will help him tremendously. If it is wet, and he’s got some conflicts and can’t get on track because of some NASCAR schedule, that track time starts to shrink, and that’s really what it is about – is getting reps in the very unique situations that you see in the race. Practice – I personally didn’t see the aero situations, and the traffic situations that came up during the race, and that is where I wasn’t as prepared as I would have liked.”

Is it good to see the change within the sport when it comes to the points system?

“It’s hard for me not to say the way I won the majority of my championship is the best way. Statistically, there is a lot of evidence that supports the changes we’ve made and where it is. The generation that I think anyone grows up in is the generation that they love the most, and I think our fan base – we are always trying to find new fans – but I think in time, we will know the opinion of the true fans that we are gathering and what they think of it. I think what we live and experience right now is the older generation and their opinion and then balancing that against statistics. I don’t know if I have a great answer. I kind of prefer the Playoffs where the 10 races, the points still totaled up to a champion. I felt like that was a good representation of both, but that is not the world that we are in now, but personally I liked that variation the most.”

Starting Lineup led by Kyle Larson