In a stunning last-minute twist, Alex Bowman clinched the pole position for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series showdown at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. With a top speed of 168.845mph, Bowman’s performance during the Saturday qualifying session rendered the competition irrelevant. This marks his sixth pole position in his career, the first this season, and a personal premiere at Homestead-Miami.
Reflecting on the achievement, Bowman expressed his satisfaction with the progress made despite the hurdles encountered this year. “This year has thrown a lot at us, and many don’t fully grasp the obstacles we’ve faced during our races,” said Bowman. He added, “However, considering everything, our seventh-place finishes have been commendable. We know we have to get everything right and execute perfectly on race day. There’s work to be done, especially on the long run, but starting at the front is a big advantage. We have a good pit stall and we’re putting our best foot forward.”
Meanwhile, Josh Berry continued his impressive form this season by securing the second position. Clocking in at 168.460mph, he matched his career-best starting performance from the Bristol race in spring 2024.
Noah Gragson, who was leading with a provisional pole before Bowman’s run, ended up in the third position with a speed of 168.219mph. Mirroring his performance from the 2024 spring race at Kansas, Gragson’s third-place qualifying effort equals his career-best.
Further down the grid, Chase Briscoe secured fourth place at 168.140mph, followed by William Byron and Ryan Blaney, who clocked in speeds of 168.046mph and 168.010 mph respectively.
The rest of the top 10 included John Hunter Nemechek (167.853mph), Austin Cindric (167.738mph), Bubba Wallace (167.645mph), and AJ Allmendinger (167.629mph).
Joining them in the top 15 qualifiers are Chris Buescher, Joey Logano, Ty Gibbs, Kyle Larson, and Carson Hocevar, with 2023 Miami winner Christopher Bell taking the 16th spot. Defending Miami race winner Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott, however, found themselves further down the grid, securing the 18th and 20th positions, respectively.
Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, who will start outside the top 20, secured the 22nd and 23rd spots.
In a rather unfortunate turn of events, Erik Jones, who managed to clock in at 28th fastest, reported an underbody hole in his car, which required repairs. Brad Keselowski wound up in the 32nd spot.
As the engines heat up for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, anticipation builds for one of the most thrilling races of the year.
