Austin Cindric posted a lap of almost 119 mph to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series pole at Richmond Raceway. He’ll start up front for Friday night’s (Sept. 20) 2019 postseason opener for the series, the Go Bowling 250.
Cindric was one of the last drivers to qualify but made his laps count to earn his fourth pole of 2019. He’ll lead the field to green on Friday night seeking his first career NXS victory on an oval track.
Justin Allgaier qualified second while Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe rounded out the top five. All 38 drivers who made an attempt made the race.
Harrison Burton will make his fourth career series start at the Virginia track and qualified sixth. Justin Haley, Noah Gragson, Gray Gaulding and Michael Annett rounded out the top 10. Gaulding led the lone NXS practice session in the morning.
Gragson, meanwhile took over the top spot on the board from JR Motorsports teammate Zane Smith early on in qualifying. Smith would later fall to a disappointing 15th starting spot.
Playoff drivers Brandon Jones, Cole Custer and Ryan Sieg will start 11th, 12th and 13th, respectively. NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series driver Landon Cassill qualified 17th in Morgan Shepherd’s No. 89.
John Hunter Nemechek was the only car not to finish at speed. The No. 23 did make it onto the racetrack but suffered mechanical issues and stalled before Nemechek started his qualifying lap.
GO BOWLING 250 QUALIFYING RESULTS
The Go Bowling 250 will get underway at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night. TV coverage will be provided by NBCSN.
Adam Cheek joined Frontstretch as a contributing writer in January 2019. A 2020 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, he covered sports there and later spent a year and a half as a sports host on 910 the Fan in Richmond, VA. He's freelanced for Richmond Magazine and the Richmond Times-Dispatch and also hosts the Adam Cheek's Sports Week podcast. Adam has followed racing since the age of three, inheriting the passion from his grandfather, who raced in amateur events up and down the East Coast in the 1950s.