Qualifying report
NASCAR O'Reilly Talladega
Jeffrey Earnhardt puts No. 3 on the Xfinity pole at Talladega
Jeffrey Earnhardt’s first NASCAR race with Richard Childress Racing is off to a strong start.
Jim Utter
Published: Apr 22, 2022, 11:23 PM
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Earnhardt, the grandson of NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Sr. and nephew of fellow Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., posted the fastest average lap speed (182.560 mph) in the final round of Xfinity Series qualifying Friday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
Earnhardt, 32, who was third-fastest in the first round, edged his RCR teammate, Austin Hill (182.351 mph), to capture his first career pole.
Earlier this month, RCR announced Earnhardt would make his first start in its famed No. 3 Chevrolet in Saturday’s race.
“I tell you, this is unbelievable, man,” Earnhardt said. “This has been a dream of mine for years to get this opportunity and everything has fallen in place. The good Lord has taken care of us.
“All the guys at RCR – it’s more them than it is me. They’ve proven time and time again they bring fast cars to superspeedways. Not a bad starting spot – we’re going to try to keep her there all race.
“Hopefully, we can put this thing in Victory Lane.”
Cla # Driver Manufacturer Laps Time Gap Interval Mph 1 3 
Jeffrey Earnhardt Chevrolet 2 52.454 182.560 2 21 Austin Hill Chevrolet 2 52.514 0.060 0.060 182.351 3 54 Ty Gibbs Toyota 2 52.551 0.097 0.037 182.223 4 2 Sheldon Creed Chevrolet 2 52.589 0.135 0.038 182.091 5 11 Daniel Hemric Chevrolet 2 52.699 0.245 0.110 181.711 6 10 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 2 52.709 0.255 0.010 181.677 7 6 Ryan Vargas Chevrolet 2 52.713 0.259 0.004 181.663 8 48 Kaz Grala Chevrolet 2 52.798 0.344 0.085 181.371 9 18 Dollar Drew Toyota 2 52.807 0.353 0.009 181.340 10 38 Ryan Sieg Ford 2 52.993 0.539 0.186 180.703
Ty Gibbs, who had won three consecutive poles, ended up third in the final round after posting the fastest lap in the first round. Sheldon Creed was fourth and Daniel Hemric fifth.
Completing the top-10 are Landon Cassill, Ryan Vargas, Kaz Grala, Drew Dollar and Ryan Sieg.
Jeffrey has competed in all three NASCAR national series – Cup, Xfinity and Trucks – and has been running a partial schedule in Xfinity this season with Sam Hunt Racing. In four starts so far this year, his best finish was 13th at Atlanta in March.
Earnhardt has made 76 starts in Cup, 10 in Trucks and 135 in Xfinity. His best season came in 2019 when he ran five races with Joe Gibbs Racing and finished a career-best third at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“I have to thank Richard (Childress, team owner) for giving me the opportunity to drive the No. 3,” Earnhardt said. “It’s something we’ve been trying to put together for years.”
Earnhardt Sr. won six of his NASCAR record-tying seven Cup series championships with RCR. Earnhardt Jr. also ran three Xfinity in his career with RCR, winning the summer Daytona race in 2010.
Larry McReynolds, who was crew chief for Earnhardt Sr. when he won his only Daytona 500 in 1998, is working as crew chief for Jeffrey Earnhardt this weekend. McReynolds currently serves as a TV analyst for Fox Sports.
Read Also:
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join FOX broadcast booth at Talladega
- Jeffrey Earnhardt to drive RCR NASCAR No. 3 in Talladega Xfinity race
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