Michael McDowell was the fastest driver in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at World Wide Technology Raceway today (June 1), setting the fastest lap in his No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports with a speed of 138.598 mph for his third pole of 2024.
All of McDowell’s career poles have been earned this season. McDowell also set a new track record with a speed of 139.241 mph in round one.
Austin Cindric will join McDowell on the front row with a speed of 138.134 mph, tying his best qualifying result of 2024 and locking up the front row for Ford. Cindric will make his second front-row start of the season.
Cindric’s Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney and last week’s Coca-Cola 600 winner Christopher Bell made up the inside and outside of the second row respectively, and Tyler Reddick completed the top five.
Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Ty Gibbs and Kyle Busch, the fastest Chevrolet, rounded out the top 10.
Enjoy Illinois 300 Starting Lineup
The green flag for the Enjoy Illinois 300 will wave at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 2. Television coverage will be provided by FOX Sports 1.
About the author
Wyatt Watson has followed NASCAR closely since 2007. He joined Frontstretchas a journalist in February 2023 after serving in the United States Navy for five years as an Electronic Technician Navigation working on submarines. Wyatt writes breaking NASCAR news and contributes to columns such as Friday Faceoff and 2-Headed Monster. Wyatt also contributes to Frontstretch's social media and serves as an at-track reporter, collecting exclusive content for Frontstretch.
Wyatt Watson can be found on Twitter @WyattGametime
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