Kyle Larson being on top of the field in the NASCAR Cup Series is something race fans are used to seeing. That’s exactly where he is sitting after winning the pole position for Sunday’s race at the Iowa Speedway. With rain lashing down, the session was delayed and the #5 was the last car to go out for the qualifying run.
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Wet tracks get better over time, especially when cars are running on them, displacing the water with every lap. Larson waited for every single driver to complete their run so he could have the best surface possible under those circumstances to race on and it paid its dividends.
“Obviously happy to get the pole. It helped to go out last, probably. I’m sure the track was continuing to get a little bit better. We got to watch SMT of everybody’s runs, so that helps. But it also makes you a little bit more nervous when you see everybody out there struggling. Thankfully, my lap was mostly comfortable,” he said.
The first ever Iowa Speedway NASCAR Cup Series pole sitter. pic.twitter.com/axgqipbRVE
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) June 15, 2024
Ryan Blaney seemed to have bagged pole position until the point, and his frustration was evident as he watched Larson’s lap. However, the Hendrick Motorsports star does not believe it was the fastest he has ever run here.
Kyle Larson says he was faster during NASCAR’s tire test at Iowa
Kyle Larson was a part of NASCAR’s tire test at the Iowa Speedway. This was before the track was partially repaved and as per the driver of the #5 car, he might have been faster back then than he was on Saturday despite earning an outstanding pole position for Sunday’s race.
“We aren’t going any faster. At the end of the test, yeah – we were going the same, if not a little slower, than what I remember,” he said when asked how he managed to go so fast when others had to deal with tire troubles.
It will be interesting to see if the 2021 Cup Series champion can convert his pole into a fourth race victory on Sunday.
