Particle.news
Get it on Google Play
Download on the App Store
23 ARTICLES
·
4d ago

Hocevar Takes Brickyard Pole as Spire Sweeps Front Row

Hocevar’s fastest lap gives Spire Motorsports the front-row advantage for Sunday’s Brickyard 400, which will also decide the In-Season Challenge final.

Image
Image
Image
Apr 25, 2026; Talladega, Alabama, USA; O'Reilly Auto Parts Series drivers Sheldon Creed (00) and Corey Day (17) and Sam Mayer (41) battle for the lead on the second to last lap of the race during the AG-Pro 300 NASCAR OÕReilly Auto Parts Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Overview

  • Carson Hocevar won the Busch Light Pole on Saturday with a 48.232-second lap at 186.598 mph and will lead the 39-car field to green from the inside of row one.
  • Teammate Daniel Suárez qualified second to complete a Spire Motorsports front-row sweep and Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five.
  • Ryan Blaney and Todd Gilliland, who will race head-to-head for the $1 million In-Season Challenge prize, start 13th and 36th respectively, creating a clear track-position gap for the showdown.
  • Friday practice produced notable incidents when Bubba Wallace and Shane van Gisbergen brushed the SAFER barrier and required garage repairs, but all entered cars remain in Sunday’s field.
  • The Brickyard 400 runs Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET on TNT/truTV/HBO Max, and qualifying’s emphasis on single-lap speed underscores how track position at the 2.5-mile IMS oval could shape stage points, pit strategy and who contends for both the crown-jewel win and the In-Season Challenge bonus.