Kyle Larson wins Cup Series pole award for Chicago Street Race in dramatic qualifying session
In a wild qualifying session for the NASCAR Cup Series at Chicago, Kyle Larson is the one that came away with the pole award. After Shane van Gisbergen shut down his second lap, the door was open to win the pole.
Michael McDowell was the first driver to hit under 88 seconds in the final qualifying round. Then, it was on. SVG tried to lay down a fast lap, but didn’t like the handling of his car. He had already won the Xfinity Series pole earlier today.
Kyle Larson just barely edged out Ty Gibbs for the pole. Between Gibbs, Larson, and SVG – we have two great NASCAR races lined up this weekend. Those three will be involved in the Xfinity and Cup Series.
Kyle Larson didn’t get the pole award in the Xfinity Series. However, he would not be denied in the Cup Series. Even with monster laps from Michael McDowell and Ty Gibbs, Larson was able to get just a little more out of his car on Saturday.
Shane van Gisbergen went out for his laps and had a small issue. His first lap was a 1:28.183. Not good enough for the pole. Then, as he was going around on his second lap, hoping to improve his time, he cut the run short.
Something in the car didn’t feel right. Perhaps he had worn the tires out. It just wasn’t worth pushing his car and potentially damaging it when he was going to start in the top-10 anyway.
Starting P5, SVG will be more than capable of getting to the front of the race and contending for the win. He just has to avoid mistakes and accidents.
Kyle Larson wins the pole at Chicago
What more could you want from Chicago? Kyle Larson, SVG, Ty Gibbs, and AJ Allmendinger are all racing double duty. Daniel Suárez, John Hunter Nemechek, and Joey Logano are also among the Cup Series talent in the field.
Last season since it was the first year of the Chicago Street Race, Cup drivers weren’t allowed to compete. This season, it’s just like any other race. We have a group of Cup talent that is going to elevate today’s race to the next level.
In my opinion, Larson, SVG, and Gibbs are the ones to watch. Both races. Those three are going to throw haymakers at each other. They are, in my opinion, the most talented road racers in NASCAR right now.
Kyle Larson, and anyone else who wants to win either race this weekend, will have to beat Shane van Gisbergen to do it. Larson and SVG split pole awards, now it’s time to race.