William Byron wins the Busch Light pole position for NASCAR race in COTA

Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron has secured the pole position for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix race at Circuit of the Americas.

Off the back of a stellar 2023 campaign which saw him reach the Cup Series playoffs, William Byron kicked off 2024 on the strongest possible note by winning a historic Daytona 500 race. Carrying the momentum, the 26-year-old driver now heads into the sixth race of the season in Austin with a Busch Light Pole victory.

Byron secured his first pole of the season and the 13th of his Cup Series. Edging out JGR's Ty Gibbs, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports driver carried over his form from the practice session to the qualifying race at Circuit of the Americas. Byron will share the front row with Gibbs.

23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick will start from third position. Meanwhile, Phoenix winner Christopher Bell kicks off the race from fourth position ahead of Corey LaJoie. Ross Chastain, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace respectively round out the top 10.

William Byron stated after the race (via NASCAR at COTA on X):

"Guys we're on the pole here at Circuit of the Americas. Really looking forward to the race. This is becoming one of my favourite tracks. It's definitely difficult in the race, so I'll just try to manage the tires and stay up front till the end."

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Starting list for NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA as William Byron starts from pole

Below is the starting grid for Sunday's Cup race at Circuit of the Americas:

1. William Byron - #24

2. Ty Gibbs - #54

3. Tyler Reddick - #45

4. Christopher Bell - #20

5. Corey LaJoie - #7

6. Ross Chastain - #1

7. Martin Truex Jr. - #19

8. Denny Hamlin - #11

9. Chase Elliott - #9

10. Darrell Wallace Jr. - #23

11. Austin Cindric - #2

12. Shane van Gisbergen - #16

13. Justin Haley - #51

14. A.J. Allmendinger - #13

15. Kyle Larson - #5

16. Kyle Busch - #8

17. Alex Bowman - #48

18. Carson Hocevar - #77

19. Daniel Suárez - #99

20. Chris Buescher - #17

21. Austin Dillon - #3

22. John Hunter Nemechek - #42

23. Kaz Grala - #15

24. Ryan Preece - #41

25. Kazuyuki Kobayashi - #150

26. Todd Gilliland - #38

27. Michael McDowell - #34

28. Ryan Blaney - #12

29. Harrison Burton - #21

30. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - #47

31. Josh Berry - #4

32. Chase Briscoe - #14

33. Daniel Hemric - #31

34. Zane Smith - #71

35. Joey Logano - #22

36. Brad Keselowski - #6

37. Timmy Hill - #66

38. Erik Jones - #43

39. Noah Gragson - #10

This is William Byron's second consecutive Busch Light Pole victory at COTA. The Daytona 500 winner would aim to seize the opportunity after a string of lackluster performances derailed his momentum. Byron is currently 10th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings after five races.