Kyle Busch became the eighth different pole winner during the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, winning the pole on Saturday (June 3) for the Cup race at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Busch’s lap of 137.187 m.p.h. edged out Coca-Cola 600 winner Ryan Blaney for the top spot. The pole is Busch’s first with Richard Childress Racing.
Blaney will start on the outside of front row. Denny Hamlin will start third while Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. round out the top five.
2022 winner Joey Logano will start sixth. The best qualifying Hendrick Motorsports car was William Byron in seventh. Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick and Austin Cindric rounded out the top 10.
2023 NASCAR Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway Starting Lineup
All 36 cars made the field. Hamlin was fastest in Group A qualifying while Blaney led Group B.
In the practice session right before qualifying, Brad Keselowski cut a left-rear tire, but he was able to continue with no damage.
Corey Lajoie, who is subbing for the suspended Chase Elliott in the HMS No. 9, scraped the wall in qualifying and will start 30th. Carson Hocevar, who is making his Cup debut in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports entry normally driven by LaJoie, qualified 26th.
The NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway will start on Sunday, June 4, at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
About the author
A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.
Cup time: 32.802 137.187
Truck time: 32.569 138.168
Wow, ridiculous huh.
So much has been made of Lajoie getting the start in the 9 car.
But so far He’s left himself with work to do.
How embarrassing could this turn out to be, if after a season & a half of seat time in the current car. he were to finish behind Hocevar in his first cup start, in the car he just vacated.
Something to watch, anyway.