Kyle Larson sets new records in Chicago qualifying
CHICAGO — Kyle Larson set a new track record for the Chicago Street Race and a new career-high mark during NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Saturday.
Larson ran a lap of 1:27.518 (1 minute, 27.518 seconds) in his qualifying group and advanced to the final round. The lap shattered the old track record and was about three tenths faster than Shane van Gisbergen who ran three tenths faster than everyone else before Larson set the record mark.
In the final round of qualifying, van Gisbergen ran a lap but didn’t run a second lap and conceded for fifth.
Meanwhile, Larson was in a fierce battle for the pole with Michael McDowell and Ty Gibbs. McDowell ran a lap of 1:27.862 and went to the top in the waning moments of qualifying. Then, Gibbs ran a lap of 1:27.846, 0.016 seconds faster than McDowell, and went to the top.
On the last run of qualifying, Larson put on a scorcher. He ran a lap of 1:27.836, 0.010 seconds faster than Gibbs, and took his fifth pole of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Five poles is the most that Kyle Larson has earned in a single Cup Series season. In 2022, he earned four poles.
Farther back in the field, teammate William Byron will go to the rear of the field. Byron had a limited qualifying run before steering issues arose. They tried getting him back out to run a lap with a quick fix to improve his qualifying spot. Unfortunately, they determined they would have to replace the entire system.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com