Blog

Jun 22, 2023

NASCAR at Indy road course starting lineup: Daniel Suarez takes the pole at the Brickyard

INDIANAPOLIS -- Daniel Suarez won the pole for the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard in qualifying on Saturday, posting a lap of 1:28.030 (87.968 mph) to win the third pole of his Cup Series career.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Daniel Suarez won the pole for the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard in qualifying on Saturday, posting a lap of 1:28.030 (87.968 mph) to win the third pole of his Cup Series career. Suarez's pole is his first since 2019, when he won the pole at Kentucky Speedway.

The Cup Series' lone driver from Mexico headlined a qualifying session that featured a great deal of international flair and road course ringers, led by Chicago winner Shane van Gisbergen (New Zealand), who earned the eighth starting spot for his second career start in the Cup Series. Joining Van Gisbergen near the front of the field was V8 Supercars companion Brodie Kostecki (Australia), who earned the 11th starting spot for his own first Cup start for Richard Childress Racing.

But while Kostecki proved a quick study behind the wheel of a Cup car, his first laps on Saturday were not without their issues. After posting his fastest lap, Kostecki got sideways and crashed on the exit of Turn 11, causing significant damage to the left front and rear of his No. 33 Chevrolet.

Trouble for @BrodieKostecki! pic.twitter.com/QVVHTdxdKC

The next fastest of the international contingent was Kamui Kobayashi, who qualified 28th and will become the first Japanese driver to start a Cup Series race since Hideo Fukuyama at Sonoma in 2003. Britain's Jenson Button qualified 31st, while Germany's Mike Rockenfeller earned the 37th starting spot behind the wheel of the Legacy Motor Club No. 42.

The only driver not to post a qualifying time on Saturday was a significant one, for significant reasons. William Byron was disallowed from making a qualifying attempt after his car failed pre-qualifying inspection three times on Friday. Not only has Byron lost pit selection for the weekend, but he will also have to serve a drive-through pit road penalty after taking the green flag on Sunday.