Van Gisbergen Ready to Take on NASCAR’s Top Series in Talladega; McDowell Secures Pole Position for Cup Race

In Talladega, Alabama, Shane van Gisbergen is set to make his first Cup start at the track on Sunday. The three-time Supercars champion qualified in 17th place with a lap of 179.912 mph. This will be van Gisbergen’s first time racing in NASCAR’s top series and he is looking forward to the challenge ahead.

Meanwhile, Michael McDowell has earned the pole position for Sunday’s Cup race for the third time this season. He secured the top spot with a qualifying lap of 182.022 mph while fellow Ford driver Austin Cindric qualified in second place. There were five Ford drivers in the final round of qualifying, along with three Chevrolet drivers and two Toyota drivers.

Kyle Busch was the fastest Chevrolet driver, qualifying in fourth place with a lap of 181.147 mph, while Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest Toyota driver, qualifying in sixth place with a lap of 180.707 mph. Five Ford drivers and three Chevrolet drivers made it to the final round of qualifying, while two Toyota drivers were also present.

The race is set to begin Sunday afternoon at 3:20 p.m., and coverage will be provided by Fox Sports 1 (FS1) leading up to it with pre-race coverage starting at 2 pm ET on Fox Sports One (FS One).