Hocevar Secures Brickyard 400 Pole Position With Late Qualifying Lap at Indianapolis

Carson Hocevar claimed the top starting spot for Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, posting a qualifying lap of 186.598 mph in his Spire Motorsports entry. The 23-year-old driver’s late run in the session displaced Tyler Reddick from the pole position, giving Hocevar his third career pole and his first at the historic 2.5-mile oval.

Daniel Suarez, Hocevar’s teammate at Spire Motorsports, secured the second starting position with a speed of 186.382 mph, ensuring Chevrolet locked down the top two grid spots on the 39-car field. Reddick, driving for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing team, will start third after recording a lap of 186.077 mph.

For Hocevar, the pole represents a significant achievement at a venue where he has struggled previously. The Michigan native finished 12th and 10th in his only two prior Brickyard starts and said even winning any award at Indianapolis would be meaningful given his history racing in a nearby parking lot as a young driver.

Reddick acknowledged the importance of qualifying position at Indianapolis, though he noted that strong track position is not always determinative. Denny Hamlin, who starts fifth, won one of NASCAR’s crown jewel races last year despite poor qualifying results at the track.

Hocevar has captured three poles in his NASCAR career, with his previous two coming at Texas, including one earlier this season. The driver has one career victory, achieved in April at Talladega during his third full season on the circuit.

Defending Brickyard champion Bubba Wallace, also competing for 23XI Racing, will start 29th after qualifying at 183.861 mph. Cool, overcast conditions during Saturday’s qualifying session produced notably faster speeds than Friday’s practice, though Sunday’s race could feature significantly different circumstances with temperatures expected to rise.