In a bizarre set of circumstances, Ty Gibbs was named the polesitter for the NASCAR Cup Series’ All-Star Open on May 19 via the qualifying metric.
Austin Dillion was the fastest driver in the Open through 19 of 20 drivers, but rain provided a slick track for Gibbs in what would be a pair of laps completed several seconds off the pace.
NASCAR ultimately ruled that Gibbs, Alex Bowman and Chase Briscoe would be allowed to requalify after the rain had stopped and the track had dried, but it was eventually canceled.
Instead, the All-Star Open will be reverted back to the qualifying metric, meaning Gibbs will start on the pole with Bowman second and Briscoe third.
Bubba Wallace and Noah Gragson will start fourth and fifth, respectively. Austin Cindric, Josh Berry, Todd Gilliland, John Hunter Nemechek and Carson Hocevar will round out the top-10 starters.
Dillon — who turned a lap of 122.958 mph — will now start in 14th spot. Timmy Hill will start last in the 20-car field.
All-Star Open Starting Lineup
The All-Star Open is set to begin at 5:38 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 19. The top-two finishers from the 100-lap race will advance to the All-Star Race later that night with the winner of the fan vote taking the third and final transfer spot. Fox Sports 1 will carry both races.
James Krause joined Frontstretch in March 2024 as a contributor. Krause was born and raised in Illinois and graduated from Northern Illinois University. He currently works in La Crosse, Wisconsin as a local sports reporter, including local short track racing. Outside of racing, Krause loves to keep up with football, music, anime and video games.