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Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing earns his second Cup Series pole of the season.- Teammate Martin Truex Jr. qualifies third in his final start at Pocono Raceway.
LONG POND, Pa. (July 13, 2024) – Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing unseated defending polesitter William Byron as the final qualifier to earn the pole during Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series qualifying for The Great Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA at Pocono Raceway.
Gibbs, the last to go among the 10 final-round qualifiers, recorded a lap of 170.039 miles per hour (52.929 seconds) around the 2.5-mile tri-oval to vault past provisional polesitter Byron. The pole was Gibbs’ second of the season and career, following his first coming at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. His previous best at Pocono in his two other visits was fifth last season.
Gibbs will lead the 37-car field to the green flag for The Great Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA on Sunday, beginning at 2:30 p.m. (TV: USA Network, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM).
“It’s a really big advantage especially for my pit crew and having the first pit stall. It’s really nice to have that spot to start in,” Gibbs said. “(Racing here), it’s like going down a highway and making a left through the trees (laughs). There’s a lot going on and at the same time you have a lot of time to rest. It’s really fun, and the way the track is laid out the characteristics of it are great. There’s a lot that goes into (being successful) here.”
Byron, of Hendrick Motorsports, will start second with his lap of 169.661 mph (53.047 secs.), which was just .118 mph shy of Gibbs’ qualifying run. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr., a two-time Pocono winner in his final Cup season, will start third (169.221 / 53.185) in his last start at Pocono Raceway. This marks his third top-three start in his last four races at “The Tricky Triangle.”
Joe Gibbs Racing secured three of the top four starting positions with Denny Hamlin starting fourth with his lap of 169.049 mph (53.239 secs.). It is the third consecutive top-eight start at Pocono for Hamlin, who owns a track-record seven wins including last season.
Rookie Josh Berry of Stewart-Haas Racing, making his first Cup Series appearance at this track, rounded out the top five with a lap of 169.135 mph (53.212 secs.).
For more information about The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA, please visitwww.poconoraceway.com.
