What a wow by Michael McDowell at the Pennzoil 400 single-lap qualifier! The Spire Motorsports standout secured the pole position for Sunday against Joey Logano. The No. 71 driver is no stranger to poles having earned six during his stint with Front Row Motorsports. Yet, earning the seventh pole of his career for the Pennzoil 400 is a bigger milestone. McDowell secured the pole in a little over 28.833 seconds at an average speed of 186.916 mph to hold off Logano. It was a hard battle, but it was an impressive one that certainly changes the outlook of today’s race.
A confident McDowell spoke to media outlets post-qualifying for the Pennzoil 400. When my car went through turns 1 and 2 and had a lot of grip, I didn’t think I had used it all up,” McDowell explained. “I knew that I had an opportunity to potentially run the final two corners without scrubbing speed and without putting myself in a bad spot,” he added. He noted that he had taken a chance and referenced what he had learned from watching Christopher Bell’s successes.
Bell has swept Atlanta, COTA, and Phoenix to earn a record-breaking three consecutive wins. However, after an intense on-track battle with Ryan Preece, he was disappointingly qualified for P13. The JGR driver also faces another setback after being penalized for making a throttle body modification to his No. 20 Toyota.
The incident pushes him further back into the rear of the field, so his hopes of adding a fourth win may be shattered. Will he redeem himself and match Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano’s record at the Pennzoil 400? Or will the competition spawned by Michael McDowell and Joey Logano during Saturday qualifying be too much?
NASCAR Cup Series: Pennzoil 400 Starting LineupLas Vegas Motor Speedway |
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| Position | Row | Driver | No. | Veh Mfg. | Team |
| 1 | 1 | Michael McDowell | 71 | Chevrolet | Spire Motorsports |
| 2 | 1 | Joey Logano | 22 | Ford | Team Penske |
| 3 | 2 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Ford | Team Penske |
| 4 | 2 | Kyle Busch | 8 | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing |
| 5 | 3 | Erik Jones | 43 | Toyota | LEGACY MOTOR CLUB |
| 6 | 3 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Chevolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 7 | 4 | Josh Berry | 21 | Ford | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 8 | 4 | William Byron | 24 | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 9 | 5 | Zane Smith | 38 | Ford | Front Row Motorsports |
| 10 | 5 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 11 | 6 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Ford | RFK Racing |
| 12 | 6 | Ryan Preece | 60 | Ford | RFK Racing |
| 13 | 7 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 14 | 7 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | Toyota | 23XL Racing |
| 15 | 8 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 16 | 8 | Chase Elliot | 9 | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 17 | 9 | Ty Dillon | 10 | Chevrolet | Kaulig Racing |
| 18 | 9 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | Chevrolet | Kaulig Racing |
| 19 | 10 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Chevrolet | Trackhouse Racing |
| 20 | 10 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | Toyota | 23XL Racing |
| 21 | 11 | Noah Gragson | 4 | Ford | Front Row Motorsports |
| 22 | 11 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing |
| 23 | 12 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Chevrolet | Trackhouse Racing |
| 24 | 12 | Chase Briscoe | 19 | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 25 | 13 | Carson Hocevar | 77 | Chevrolet | Spire Motorsports |
| 26 | 13 | Cole Custer | 41 | Ford | Haas Factory Team |
| 27 | 14 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | Ford | RFK Racing |
| 28 | 14 | Shane Van Gisbergen | 88 | Chevrolet | Trackhouse Racing |
| 29 | 15 | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 30 | 15 | John Hunter Nemechek | 42 | Toyota | LEGACY MOTOR CLUB |
| 31 | 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | Chevrolet | HYAK Motorsports |
| 32 | 16 | Todd Gilliland | 34 | Ford | Front Row Motorsports |
| 33 | 17 | Justin Haley | 7 | Chevrolet | Spire Motorsports |
| 34 | 17 | Riley Herbst | 35 | Toyota | 23XL Racing |
| 35 | 18 | Cody Ware | 51 | Ford | Rick Ware Racing |
| 36 | 18 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Ford | Team Penske |
Final Thoughts
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series has finally reached the fifth race of the season. The Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is officially underway. Saturday qualifying was full of surprises. Spire Motorsports driver No. 71 Michael McDowell took the pole. Logano pulled off his fiercest qualifying finish yet with a lap time of 28.898 seconds at 186.864 mph.
Even so, there was no stopping McDowell’s charge. Logano has already tasted success at winning the Pennzoil 400 four times, but can he add a fifth? Or will it elude him? Christopher Bell, slapped with a penalty for making unauthorized throttle body changes, is eyeing his fourth consecutive. Who will secure the Pennzoil 400 win this afternoon?
