Tyler Reddick dominated Saturday’s qualifying session at Darlington Raceway, blistering the track to secure the Busch Light Pole Award. Reddick piloted his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota to a top speed of 169.152 mph, narrowly edging out his teammate Bubba Wallace, who clocked in at 168.434 mph. This front-row lockout for 23XI Racing sets a high bar for Sunday’s main event, which is scheduled to go green at 3 p.m. ET.
The top of the starting grid features a heavy-hitting lineup of championship contenders. Following the 23XI duo, Chase Elliott (167.727 mph) and Kyle Larson (167.496 mph) locked in the third and fourth positions, while Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five. Other notable drivers cracking the top 10 included Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Austin Dillon. Further back in the pack, Justin Allgaier qualified 15th while filling in for Alex Bowman, who continues to recover from vertigo.
Earlier in the day, practice sessions provided a first look at how the 750-horsepower short-track package would behave on the “Lady in Black.” Erik Jones and Riley Herbst set the pace during the single-lap runs, posting identical speeds of 164.33 mph. They were followed closely by Austin Cindric, Carson Hocevar, and Connor Zilisch. However, the raw speed was significantly lower than previous years; the fastest lap on Saturday was nearly a full second slower than the pace set during practice for last fall’s Southern 500.
The new technical package, which pairs increased engine power with reduced aerodynamic grip, led to dramatic tire fall-off. Data from Racing Insights revealed that lap times plummeted by approximately 1.5 seconds over the course of just 10 laps. Austin Cindric proved to be the most consistent during long runs, topping the 10-lap average charts at 160.175 mph, followed by Hocevar, Reddick, Busch, and Herbst.
In a surprising twist, several heavyweights struggled to find a rhythm during extended runs. Of the 26 drivers who completed 20-lap averages, some of the slowest times belonged to perennial favorites Kyle Larson, William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Chase Elliott. This suggests that while Larson and Elliott found enough single-lap speed to qualify well, their race-trim setups may require significant adjustments before Sunday if they hope to maintain their positions near the front.
As the field prepares for the grueling Darlington laps, the combination of high horsepower and low grip promises a race defined by “survival of the fittest.” With Reddick and Wallace leading the charge, the Toyotas look like the cars to beat, but the extreme tire degradation ensures that pit strategy and driver patience will be just as vital as raw speed.
Darlington Raceway Cup Series Qualifying Results
Qualifying: March 21, 2026; Race: March 22, 2026
|
POSITION
|
BEST SPEED
|
BEST TIME
|
BEHIND
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
T. Reddick #45
|
169.152
|
29.072
|
Winner
|
|
2 |
B. Wallace #23
|
168.434
|
29.196
|
0.124
|
|
3 |
C. Elliott #9
|
167.727
|
29.319
|
0.247
|
|
4 |
K. Larson #5
|
167.396
|
29.377
|
0.305
|
|
5 |
B. Keselowski #6
|
167.129
|
29.424
|
0.352
|
|
6 |
C. Buescher #17
|
167.021
|
29.443
|
0.371
|
|
7 |
R. Blaney #12
|
166.834
|
29.476
|
0.404
|
|
8 |
K. Busch #8
|
166.823
|
29.478
|
0.406
|
|
9 |
D. Hamlin #11
|
166.698
|
29.500
|
0.428
|
|
10 |
A. Dillon #3
|
166.484
|
29.538
|
0.466
|
|
11 |
D. Suárez #7
|
166.416
|
29.550
|
0.478
|
|
12 |
A. Cindric #2
|
166.304
|
29.570
|
0.498
|
|
13 |
W. Byron #24
|
166.130
|
29.601
|
0.529
|
|
14 |
R. Herbst #35
|
166.062
|
29.613
|
0.541
|
|
15 |
J. Allgaier #48
|
166.001
|
29.624
|
0.552
|
|
16 |
C. Hocevar #77
|
165.704
|
29.677
|
0.605
|
|
17 |
R. Preece #60
|
165.531
|
29.708
|
0.636
|
|
18 |
R. Stenhouse Jr #47
|
165.459
|
29.721
|
0.649
|
|
19 |
Z. Smith #38
|
165.448
|
29.723
|
0.651
|
|
20 |
M. McDowell #71
|
165.403
|
29.731
|
0.659
|
|
21 |
J. Nemechek #42
|
165.153
|
29.776
|
0.704
|
|
22 |
C. Bell #20
|
165.103
|
29.785
|
0.713
|
|
23 |
C. Briscoe #19
|
164.915
|
29.819
|
0.747
|
|
24 |
E. Jones #43
|
164.882
|
29.825
|
0.753
|
|
25 |
R. Chastain #1
|
164.760
|
29.847
|
0.775
|
|
26 |
J. Berry #21
|
164.589
|
29.878
|
0.806
|
|
27 |
A. Allmendinger #16
|
164.551
|
29.885
|
0.813
|
|
28 |
T. Gibbs #54
|
164.529
|
29.889
|
0.817
|
|
29 |
J. Logano #22
|
164.402
|
29.912
|
0.840
|
|
30 |
N. Gragson #4
|
164.029
|
29.980
|
0.908
|
|
31 |
T. Gilliland #34
|
163.936
|
29.997
|
0.925
|
|
32 |
C. Zilisch #88
|
163.424
|
30.091
|
1.019
|
|
33 |
S. Van Gisbergen #97
|
163.240
|
30.125
|
1.053
|
|
34 |
C. Ware #51
|
162.249
|
30.309
|
1.237
|
|
35 |
C. Custer #41
|
161.646
|
30.422
|
1.350
|
|
36 |
T. Dillon #10
|
160.790
|
30.584
|
1.512
|
|
37 |
T. Hill #66
|
153.464
|
32.044
|
2.972
|
