Kyle Larson lived up to the hype by clinching the pole position for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway. Larson, steering the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, clocked a blistering lap of 29.994 seconds (163.953 mph). He is currently filling in for Alex Bowman, who remains out of the cockpit as he recovers from a vertigo diagnosis.
The front row will feature a heavyweight battle, as Larson narrowly edged out fellow Cup Series standout Christopher Bell for the top spot. While the Cup regulars stole the headlines, Carson Kvapil delivered a standout performance of his own. Kvapil secured the third starting position in the No. 1 JR Motorsports entry, making him the highest-qualifying driver among the Xfinity Series regulars.
The second row is rounded out by Justin Allgaier, who is facing a busy weekend at “The Lady in Black.” In addition to his fourth-place start in Saturday’s race, Allgaier has been tapped to substitute for Bowman in Sunday’s Cup Series event. He will share the third row with Parker Retzlaff, who impressed by locking in the fifth-fastest time of the session.
The remainder of the top 10 showcases a competitive mix of seasoned veterans and rising stars. Sam Mayer and William Sawalich will line up in sixth and seventh, followed by Brandon Jones in eighth. The final spots in the top 10 were claimed by Ross Chastain and Jesse Love, setting the stage for a high-intensity start to the 200-mile race.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Darlington Quailfying
Qualifying: March 21, 2026; Race: March 21, 2026
|
POSITION
|
BEST SPEED
|
BEST TIME
|
BEHIND
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
K. Larson #88
|
163.953
|
29.994
|
Winner
|
|
2 |
C. Bell #19
|
163.696
|
30.041
|
0.047
|
|
3 |
C. Kvapil #1
|
162.942
|
30.180
|
0.186
|
|
4 |
J. Allgaier #7
|
162.727
|
30.220
|
0.226
|
|
5 |
P. Retzlaff #99
|
162.302
|
30.299
|
0.305
|
|
6 |
S. Mayer #41
|
162.260
|
30.307
|
0.313
|
|
7 |
W. Sawalich #18
|
162.094
|
30.338
|
0.344
|
|
8 |
B. Jones #20
|
162.003
|
30.355
|
0.361
|
|
9 |
R. Chastain #9
|
161.763
|
30.400
|
0.406
|
|
10 |
J. Love #2
|
161.705
|
30.411
|
0.417
|
|
11 |
A. Hill #21
|
161.572
|
30.436
|
0.442
|
|
12 |
C. Day #17
|
161.513
|
30.447
|
0.453
|
|
13 |
S. Creed #00
|
161.407
|
30.467
|
0.473
|
|
14 |
H. Burton #24
|
161.333
|
30.481
|
0.487
|
|
15 |
T. Gray #54
|
161.196
|
30.507
|
0.513
|
|
16 |
K. Sieg #28
|
161.164
|
30.513
|
0.519
|
|
17 |
J. Williams #92
|
160.596
|
30.621
|
0.627
|
|
18 |
S. Smith #8
|
160.475
|
30.644
|
0.650
|
|
19 |
R. Caruth #32
|
160.271
|
30.683
|
0.689
|
|
20 |
J. Yeley #5
|
160.146
|
30.707
|
0.713
|
|
21 |
A. Alfredo #96
|
159.995
|
30.736
|
0.742
|
|
22 |
R. Sieg #39
|
159.865
|
30.761
|
0.767
|
|
23 |
B. Poole #44
|
159.823
|
30.769
|
0.775
|
|
24 |
G. Smithley #0
|
159.616
|
30.809
|
0.815
|
|
25 |
J. Burton #27
|
159.450
|
30.841
|
0.847
|
|
26 |
B. Perkins #31
|
159.285
|
30.873
|
0.879
|
|
27 |
N. Sanchez #25
|
159.280
|
30.874
|
0.880
|
|
28 |
P. Staropoli #48
|
159.094
|
30.910
|
0.916
|
|
29 |
L. Scott #45
|
159.022
|
30.924
|
0.930
|
|
30 |
J. Clements #51
|
158.863
|
30.955
|
0.961
|
|
31 |
A. Green #87
|
158.806
|
30.966
|
0.972
|
|
32 |
J. Bilicki #07
|
158.591
|
31.008
|
1.014
|
|
33 |
D. Thompson #26
|
157.919
|
31.140
|
1.146
|
|
34 |
A. Labbe #0
|
157.489
|
31.225
|
1.231
|
|
35 |
M. Snider #30
|
157.343
|
31.254
|
1.260
|
|
36 |
R. Ellis #02
|
157.127
|
31.297
|
1.303
|
|
37 |
J. Gase #55
|
156.080
|
31.507
|
1.513
|
|
38 |
N. Byrd #42
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
