Carson Hocevar and Spire Motorsports teammate Daniel Suarez will set the pace for the 2026 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Hocevar was 0.056 seconds faster than Suarez, clinching his third career pole and second of the season. His qualifying lap clocked 48.232 seconds, averaging 186.598 mph around the historic circuit.
“It’s just unbelievable,” Hocevar said. “When I stepped out of the car the fans were shouting, cheering, and I couldn’t believe it. I don’t know if the applause was because I beat Denny or simply because we’re on the front row. I’m super pumped. Denny stole a pole from me at Michigan, and this is Jeff Dickerson’s hometown. It’s great to use the notes we’ve refined over the last two years and take the cars further. The crew works hard and I’m just enjoying it.”
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: Logan Riely / Getty Images
Hocevar added that he will “soak this in a lot” as Indianapolis is his favorite track on the schedule.
Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing claimed the best Toyota start in third, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin in fourth and fifth.
Michael McDowell secured sixth place, and part‑timer Corey Heim qualified strong in seventh. Alex Bowman advanced Hendrick Motorsports into eighth, and he announced that he will retire after the 2027 season.
A.J. Allmendinger earned a respectable ninth for Kaulig Racing, and Kyle Larson rounded out the top ten.
The highest‑qualifying Ford driver was Ryan Blaney, who started thirteenth. Former champion Joey Logano began the race in nineteenth, while William Byron, Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell, Shane van Gisbergen, Chase Elliott, and defending Brickyard champion Bubba Wallace started twenty‑ procuring at various positions. Austin Cindric, holding the final Chase spot, qualified thirty‑fifth, and Todd Gilliland began in thirty‑sixth, both chasing the $1 million prize against Blaney.
Qualifying recap
San Diego winner Corey Heim set an early benchmark at 48.529 seconds, making a strong showing in the No. 67 23XI Racing entry. This was his first-ever NASCAR race at the historic speedway in any division.
McDowell had a close lap and nearly clipped the الابت exit of Turn chte, but it was enough to pass Heim for the leading time. The advantage didn’t last long as 23XI pushed back with Reddick rushing to the front faster.
Later in the session, Hocevar surged to the top, more than a tenth of a second ahead of Reddick. Spire teammate Suarez was just 0.056 seconds off the pole lap. Blaney hovered near the pole until a large lift in Turn 3. Gibbs had a similar effort but lifted at the exit of Turn 2, losing momentum on the back stretch.
Chase Elliott clipped the wall between Turns 3 and 4, but aside from that, no significant incidents occurred during qualifying.
