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NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500: Qualifying, William Byron’s Pole Position, Lineup At Martinsville Speedway

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
Updated –
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NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500: Qualifying, William Byron’s Pole Position, Lineup At Martinsville Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron doesn’t like the position he faces for Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Sure, Byron appreciates starting on the pole, but considering the No. 24 Chevrolet team enters the Round of 8 finale 36 points below the cutoff line.

Facing a near-must-win situation, Bryon turned a hot qualifying lap of 98.185 mph Saturday, edging Ty Gibbs by 0.002 seconds. Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson (98.038 mph) will start third.

Byron recorded the fastest qualifying lap since 2016, marking Hendrick’s first pole since Kansas Speedway in May, the Charlotte, N.C.-based organization’s longest skid since 2006 (20 events). 

Zane Smith Inks Front Row Motorsports Contract Extension

Driver Zane Smith agreed to a multi-year contract extension with Front Row Motorsports and will continue to work with crew chief Ryan Bergenty in 2026.

Smith, who qualified 23rd Saturday, registered one top-five finish and five top-10s in his first season with the Moorseville, N.C.-based organization. Smith, 26, enters Sunday ranked No. 27 in the drivers’ standings. The second-year driver competed for Spire Motorsports as a rookie.

“We’ve had an up-and-down year, but heading into the offseason, I feel like we’ve put our program in a great position to hit the ground running in 2026,” Smith said in a team news release. “Front Row has always felt like home — the people, both on the road and at the shop, truly make this a special place and I’m excited for what next season holds.”

Starting Lineup for NASCAR Cup Series’ Xfinity 500

Here is a look at the lineup for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series’ Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway:

Starting Position, Driver, Car No.

  • 1, William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet
  • 2, Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota
  • 3, Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet
  • 4, Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford
  • 5, Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota
  • 6, Cole Custer, No. 41 Ford
  • 7, Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet
  • 8, Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet
  • 9, Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota
  • 10, Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford
  • 11, Michael McDowell, No. 71 Chevrolet
  • 12, Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota
  • 13, Ross Chastain, No. 1 Chevrolet
  • 14, Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota
  • 15, Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet
  • 16, Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Ford
  • 17, Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet
  • 18, Ryan Freece, No. 48 Chevrolet
  • 19, Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford
  • 20, Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet
  • 21, Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota
  • 22, Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Chevrolet
  • 23, Zane Smith, No. 38 Ford
  • 24, John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota
  • 25, Riley Herbst, No. 35 Toyota
  • 26, Ty Dillon, No. 10 Chevrolet
  • 27, Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford
  • 28, Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota
  • 29, Chris Buescher, No. 16 Ford
  • 30, Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Chevrolet
  • 31, Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford
  • 32, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Chevrolet
  • 33, AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet
  • 34, Justin Haley, No. 7 Chevrolet
  • 35, Noah Gragson, No. 4 Ford
  • 36, Cody Ware, No. 51 Ford
  • 37, Casey Mears, No. 66 Ford

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  
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