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Daddy Wallace has earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series win for Sunday’s race at Michigan International Speedway (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com).
Wallace’s lap of 190.703 mph was the fastest among the 10 drivers who advanced to the final round of qualifying on Saturday afternoon.
MORE: NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan – Starting lineup
His pole, which came in his 171st career Cup start, is also the first in Cup competition for 23XI Racing, the co-owned team Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan.
Wallace and the 23XI earned their first Cup race win last fall in a rain-free race at Talladega Superspeedway.
RETWEET for congratulations @BubbaWallace!
It’s the @23XIRacing the driver’s first career pole as he will lead the field to the green Sunday in 3P ET at @USA_Network. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/dfEEflQJzS
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 6, 2022
“About time! It took me five years to get my first pole,” Wallace told NBC Sports on Saturday. “It’s a testament to everyone in the 23XI. Everyone on this No. 23 team has done a tremendous job all year, really. We just didn’t have the finishes we deserved but proud of everyone for just sticking with it.
“(There’s been) a lot of adversity on this team, but we keep showing up ready to fight… Now, the real work is tomorrow, right? We know it’s a whole different ball game. Well, a good starting point for us, but we have to reset and prepare for tomorrow.”
Wallace has recently rebounded with three straight top-10 finishes at Michigan. He finished fifth last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Wallace’s embrace throbbed Christopher Bell off pole, but Bell’s lap of 189.898 mph still ensured a Toyota lockout on the front row.
In fact, Toyota drivers swept the top three starting positions for Sunday, with Kyle Busch (189.868 mph) qualifying third. Kyle Busch’s entry in Series 2 will be Joey Logano (189.509 mph), which led the Fords in qualifying.
Series 3 features Austin Sidric (189.449 mph) and leading Chevrolet driver Tyler Reddick (189.026 mph), last week’s winner at Indy.
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