RICHMOND, Va. \u2014 Ryan Preece delivered in the clutch, claiming the second pole position of his career Friday afternoon at Richmond (Va.) Raceway as he tries to earn a playoff position with only two regular-season races remaining before the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series championship field is set.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s certainly a good omen for Preece heading into Saturday night\u2019s Cook Out 400 (7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the three-quarter mile track.<\/p>\n
His No. 60 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford Mustang turned a fast lap of 121.381 mph, edging 23XI Racing\u2019s Tyler Reddick by .087 of a second. The 34-year-old Connecticut native Preece last earned the pole in 2023 at another Virginia short track, Martinsville Speedway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like it was on my bingo card, I\u2019m not sure about everybody else\u2019s,\u201d said a smiling Preece, who trails RFK teammate Chris Buescher by 34 points for the final playoff points position.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Ford Mustang was really sporty. I felt good about it in practice and it showed up for qualifying. We have a great starting spot and tomorrow we\u2019ve just got to go execute and hopefully we can win this race.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a place like this I would rather be out front. \u2026 I\u2019d rather be the one leading. Tomorrow is about getting out front, getting the clean air and setting my pace.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was also a particularly good day for the small Kaulig Racing team, whose veteran driver A.J. Allmendinger qualified third-fastest for his best career start at the track. Joe Gibbs Racing\u2019s Denny Hamlin, a Virginia native and hometown favorite, will roll off fourth. Hendrick Motorsports\u2019 Chase Elliott rounds out the top five.<\/p>\n
Among those contending for the final three playoff positions, Reddick needs to earn just 30 points Saturday night to finalize his spot. Hendrick Motorsports\u2019 Alex Bowman, who holds a 60-point advantage inside the standings, will start ninth. Buescher, in the 16th and final playoff points position, qualified 12th.<\/p>\n
Thirteen drivers have claimed Playoff positions with victories this season. A new race winner this week at Richmond or next week in the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway would leap over Reddick, Bowman and Buescher in the playoff eligibility.<\/p>\n
Hendrick Motorsports\u2019 William Byron, the NASCAR Cup Series championship leader, qualified 14th. He holds a 42-point advantage on his teammate Elliott for the regular- season championship and the 15 bonus points that pays following the Daytona race.<\/p>\n
Richard Childress Racing\u2019s Austin Dillon, the defending race winner, will start 11th. Teammate Kyle Busch, a six-time winner at Richmond, will roll off 28th. Three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano will start 38th.<\/p>\n
\u2013Field Level Media<\/p>\n
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