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Alex Bowman aims to keep the momentum going for drivers whose names begin with the letter ‘B’ in this year’s competitive racing season, bolstered by an impressive performance during Saturday’s qualifying. Taking advantage of cooler conditions brought on by clouds, he secured the pole position for the upcoming race with his No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.
Noah Gragson, who was among the early drivers on track and held the leading spot for a significant portion of the session, seemed on the verge of claiming his first career pole after 80 attempts. As the sun heated the asphalt, the other contenders struggled to match his pace with the No. 4 Ford from Front Row Motorsports.
Optimal Conditions
In a surprising turn of events, the weather shifted in the final minutes of the session. As clouds rolled in, drivers who qualified later benefited from the cooler track temperatures. Bowman executed a remarkable run, inching ahead of Gragson by over a tenth of a second. Gragson, visibly disappointed, returned to the garage while Josh Berry climbed to second position, consequently bumping Gragson from the front row. Ultimately, Bowman clinched the top spot, narrowly defeating last week’s race winner Berry by just 0.073 seconds, marking his sixth career Cup Series pole and his first at a 1.5-mile track.
“Looking up, it seems like we got some clouds. We struggled a bit during practice on the long run but were quick on the short run,” Bowman remarked in a post-qualifying interview with FOX Sports. “We’ve encountered numerous challenges this year that others may not realize. We just need to have everything go smoothly and execute effectively throughout the race. I know we need to focus on our long-run performance for the race, but at least we’re starting from the front and have a favorable pit stall.”
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Josh Berry will sit in the second position, marking his third career start in the front row and the best qualifying result for the No. 21 Ford since securing the pole at Dover in 2020. Berry, who secured his first career victory recently at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, now has the opportunity to help the legendary Wood Brothers Racing team achieve their first multi-win season since 1981.
“I’m really thrilled with everyone on this No. 21 team. They are making me look great right now. We have exceptional cars,” Berry expressed. “I’m really appreciative of everyone at Wood Brothers Racing and Team Penske. It has been an exciting start to the season.”
Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images
Gragson ultimately finished third, followed by Chase Briscoe in fourth place and William Byron rounding out the top five. Ryan Blaney, John-Hunter Nemechek, Austin Cindric, Bubba Wallace, and AJ Allmendinger completed the top ten.
The variable track conditions left some notable drivers starting further back than anticipated. Kyle Larson, who won the Truck Series race the previous night, qualified 14th as he aims to secure a weekend sweep. Christopher Bell, boasting the best average finish among active drivers at this location, secured the 16th spot. Tyler Reddick, winner at Homestead a few months earlier, came in at 20th. Other prominent names such as Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Ross Chastain, and Brad Keselowski also face challenges starting deeper in the field.
Photos from Homestead-Miami: Practice & Qualifying
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