Tyler Reddick's hopes of advancing in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs received a monumental boost after Saturday's Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 qualifying session.
Reddick, the driver of the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing, snatched the pole from Shane van Gisbergen in the final minutes of qualifying, posting a blistering lap averaging 95.509 miles per hour to claim the top starting spot for Sunday’s Playoff showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Van Gisbergen’s lap of 95.474 mph held up to secure the outside of the front row.
Ty Gibbs will start third followed by Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher.
For Reddick, who essentially faces a must-win situation to advance to the Round of 8, Saturday’s performance — his second ROVAL™ pole and first since 2023 — was well-timed.
“Incredible effort by this team, this is a track that we’ve been good at,” Reddick said. “It’s nice that we got the job done today. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow, but we did a good job of getting the track position—I’ll try to keep Shane [Van Gisbergen] behind me.
“I think the long run comes quick with the way these tires go away. [Van Gisbergen] was the standout in that regard on long run pace,” Reddick told reporters after qualifying. “I will look at what I am doing with the car, and we will look at what we change on the car.”
Trailing below the playoff cutline are Austin Cindric (-48), Bubba Wallace (-26), and Ross Chastain (-13), all of whom will need strong runs to keep their championship hopes alive. Three-time and defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano, currently holding the eighth and final transfer spot, will roll off 17th.
Earlier in the afternoon, AJ Allmendinger led the field in practice with a lap of 94.748 mph, showing early speed on a track where he has historically excelled.
As the field prepares for Sunday’s 109-lap thriller, one thing is certain — the ROVAL™ will once again test every ounce of skill, strategy, and composure from NASCAR’s best as the playoff field narrows at America’s Home for Racing.
PRETTY IN PINK
Marking National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this weekend’s distinctive pink window nets, provided by the Erik Jones Foundation, provide awareness and support to survivors and those affected, as well as highlight the importance of early detection.
Almost every team has purchased a window net for this race, earning $11,000 for the foundation.
“We’ve been grateful to take this program over for the third year now," Jones said. "We have three charities that we are going to donate to this year with the proceeds from this program.”
