Chase Elliott earns Watkins Glen pole over William Byron
Trying for a repeat victory, Chase Elliott will start in the best position possible Sunday at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.
Elliott earned his first career win in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series last season at the Glen and will start on the pole for Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen as he attempts his second consecutive win at the road course.
Elliott was fastest in both qualifying sessions, topping the final 10-minute session with an average lap speed of 127.297 mph.
William Byron ended up second (127.144 mph) and Kyle Busch was third (126.976 mph). Martin Truex Jr. was fourth and Kyle Larson completed the top-five.
The pole is Elliott’s third this season and seventh of his career. It’s his first pole at a road course.
“In practice it was so hard to tell but today I felt like throughout practice we were able to have decent pace for a handful of laps and I felt like we needed to work on our long-run pace,” Elliott said.
“Obviously, that’s the biggest question going into tomorrow. It’s really important to have long-run speed. Qualifying well is a big thing here. It’s going to be a hard thing to do to pass those top five or six guys, so to be among that crowd is key.
“Having a nice pit road selection to pit somewhere by yourself and try to eliminate as many mistakes as possible is the goal. We just need to have a really good day.”
Rounding out the top 12 starters are Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Round 1
Elliott led the way in the first 15-minute session with an average lap speed of 126.720 mph.
Truex was second (126.682 mph) and Kyle Busch was third (126.580 mph). Hamlin was third and Byron rounded out the top-five.
Also advancing to the final round were Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Johnson, Larson, McDowell, Stenhouse and Almirola.
Erik Jones went out early in the session but blew a tire on his first run and his No. 20 Toyota came to a stop on the track.
NASCAR allowed Jones’ team to change a tire and he made another qualifying attempt later in the session and ended up 14th.
Among those who also failed to advance were Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman and Austin Dillon.
| Cla | # | Driver | Manufacturer | Time | Gap | Mph | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 |  Chase Elliott | Chevrolet | 1'09.287 | 127.297 | ||
| 2 | 24 | William Byron | Chevrolet | 1'09.370 | 0.083 | 127.144 | |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 1'09.462 | 0.175 | 126.976 | |
| 4 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | 1'09.525 | 0.238 | 126.861 | |
| 5 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | 1'09.570 | 0.283 | 126.779 | |
| 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 1'09.599 | 0.312 | 126.726 | |
| 7 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | 1'09.834 | 0.547 | 126.300 | |
| 8 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 1'09.931 | 0.644 | 126.124 | |
| 9 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 1'10.040 | 0.753 | 125.928 | |
| 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 1'10.041 | 0.754 | 125.926 | |
| 11 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 1'10.229 | 0.942 | 125.589 | |
| 12 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ford | 1'10.550 | 1.263 | 125.018 | |
| 13 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Ford | 1'10.215 | 0.928 | 125.614 | |
| 14 | 20 | Erik Jones | Toyota | 1'10.230 | 0.943 | 125.587 | |
| 15 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Ford | 1'10.273 | 0.986 | 125.511 | |
| 16 | 37 | Chris Buescher | Chevrolet | 1'10.276 | 0.989 | 125.505 | |
| 17 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Chevrolet | 1'10.278 | 0.991 | 125.502 | |
| 18 | 41 |  Daniel Suarez | Ford | 1'10.308 | 1.021 | 125.448 | |
| 19 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Ford | 1'10.340 | 1.053 | 125.391 | |
| 20 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Toyota | 1'10.352 | 1.065 | 125.370 | |
| 21 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | 1'10.374 | 1.087 | 125.330 | |
| 22 | 21 | Paul Menard | Ford | 1'10.467 | 1.180 | 125.165 | |
| 23 | 8 | Daniel Hemric | Chevrolet | 1'10.785 | 1.498 | 124.603 | |
| 24 | 96 | Parker Kligerman | Toyota | 1'10.811 | 1.524 | 124.557 | |
| 25 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Ford | 1'10.858 | 1.571 | 124.474 | |
| 26 | 36 | Matt Tifft | Ford | 1'10.866 | 1.579 | 124.460 | |
| 27 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Chevrolet | 1'10.933 | 1.646 | 124.343 | |
| 28 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet | 1'11.065 | 1.778 | 124.112 | |
| 29 | 47 | Ryan Preece | Chevrolet | 1'11.270 | 1.983 | 123.755 | |
| 30 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | Chevrolet | 1'11.390 | 2.103 | 123.547 | |
| 31 | 38 | David Ragan | Ford | 1'11.557 | 2.270 | 123.258 | |
| 32 | 15 | Ross Chastain | Chevrolet | 1'11.772 | 2.485 | 122.889 | |
| 33 | 32 | Corey Lajoie | Ford | 1'11.868 | 2.581 | 122.725 | |
| 34 | 00 | Landon Cassill | Chevrolet | 1'12.364 | 3.077 | 121.884 | |
| 35 | 51 | Cody Ware | Chevrolet | 1'13.234 | 3.947 | 120.436 | |
| 36 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Chevrolet | 1'13.266 | 3.979 | 120.383 | |
| 37 | 77 | Reed Sorenson | Chevrolet | 1'16.271 | 6.984 | 115.640 |
Previous article
Chase Elliott leads the way in final Cup practice at the Glen
Next article
Chase Elliott dominates Stage 1 at Watkins Glen
About this article
| Series | NASCAR Cup |
| Event | Watkins Glen |
| Author | Jim Utter |
From the archive: Dale Earnhardt’s final Autosport interview
The death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500 shocked NASCAR to the core. At the Daytona 24 Hours, two weeks before his fatal accident, ‘The Intimidator’ shared his expectations of challenging for an eighth Cup title with JONATHAN INGRAM, in an article first published in the 15 February 2001 issue of Autosport magazine. Little did we know then what tragedy would unfold…
The lasting NASCAR legacy after Dale Earnhardt’s death
On February 18, 2001, seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Dale Earnhardt – the fearless ‘Intimidator’ – was in his element at Daytona International Speedway. While his own DEI team’s cars ran 1-2 towards the finish line, his famed #3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo was playing rear gunner to block any late runs from the chasing pack. As the cars tore through Turns 3 and 4 on that fateful final lap, Earnhardt maintained the strongarm tactics that encapsulated his persona… but his actions in those moments sadly proved to be his last.
Inspired by Pitbull, the “revolution” sweeping through NASCAR
The NASCAR Cup Series is changing. Whether it be the gradual morphing out the seasoned drivers of yesterday as the next generation step up, a radical calendar shake-up featuring more road courses than ever before and the prospect of an all-new car on the horizon, stock car racing’s highest level is nearing the end of a huge facelift.
The NASCAR storylines to watch out for in 2021
This weekend's Daytona 500 kickstarts a NASCAR Cup season that promises plenty of intrigue courtesy of new owners and a refreshed calendar. Here's what you need to know ahead of the new season…
Why Kyle Larson can't blow his big shot at redemption
From a disgraced NASCAR exile, Kyle Larson has been given a chance of redemption by the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports squad. Effectively replacing seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson is no easy billing, but Larson has every intention of repaying the team's faith...
Why Roger Penske is an American motorsport icon
In this exclusive one-on-one interview, Roger Penske reveals the inner drive that has made him not only a hugely successful team owner and businessman but also the owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar. He spoke to David Malsher-Lopez.
Why NASCAR's latest second-generation champion is just getting started
Chase Elliott's late charge to the 2020 NASCAR Cup title defied predictions that it would be a Kevin Harvick versus Denny Hamlin showdown. While the two veterans are showing no signs of slowing down, Elliott's triumph was a window into NASCAR's future…
Why Kyle Larson deserves his second chance in a cancel culture
“You can’t hear me? Hey n*****” Those fateful words uttered by Kyle Larson, spoken into his esports headset on April 12, were directed at his sim racing spotter – but instead they quickly became amplified around the world via social media, including his own Twitch stream.
