The Nascar Ford teams did not fare so well during qualifying for Homestead-Miami Speedway, with the fastest Blue Oval driver claiming the eighth-best starting position for Sunday’s Cup Series race.
The No. 17 Ford Mustang of Chris Buescher scored a time of 32.627 seconds at 165.507 mph around the 1.5-mile asphalt oval. Starting just behind him in ninth is the only other Nascar Ford to start within the top 10. Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 Mustang got around Homestead in 32.662 second at 165.507 mph.
For comparison, William Byron laid down a blistering lap time of 32.454 seconds at 166.389 mph in the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to earn the pole position. Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Camry got around in 32.503 seconds at 166.139 mph for second place, while Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Camaro will start third with a time of 32.504 seconds at 166.133 mph.
Meanwhile, Aric Almirola’s No. 10 Nascar Ford will start 28th. His race car bears the colors of Smithfield’s Premium Bacon, a special one-off paint scheme for Homestead.
No pre-qualifying inspection failures have been reported, and every driver was able to make a lap time. The Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami will start at 2:30 p.m. EST on October 23rd, 2022.
| Pos | Car Number | Driver | Team | Time | Speed | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | William Byron (P) | Liberty University Chevrolet | 32.454 | 166.389 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | Rheem – WATTS Toyota | 32.503 | 166.139 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott (P) | NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet | 32.504 | 166.133 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 4 | 45 | John Hunter Nemechek(i) | Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota | 32.534 | 165.98 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | Valvoline Chevrolet | 32.551 | 165.894 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 6 | 23 | Ty Gibbs(i) | Monster Energy Toyota | 32.556 | 165.868 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 7 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | 3CHI Chevrolet | 32.614 | 165.573 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 8 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Fastenal Ford | 32.627 | 165.507 | Ford Mustang |
| 9 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | Violet Defense Ford | 32.662 | 165.33 | Ford Mustang |
| 10 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger(i) | Ed Morse Automotive Group Chevrolet | 32.751 | 164.88 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 11 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Skittles Lime is Back Toyota | 32.401 | 166.662 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 12 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Bass Pro Shops Toyota | 32.405 | 166.641 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 13 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (P) | Menards/Pennzoil Ford | 32.424 | 166.543 | Ford Mustang |
| 14 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) | FedEx Ground Toyota | 32.448 | 166.42 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 15 | 31 | Justin Haley | LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet | 32.448 | 166.42 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 16 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Busch Light Ford | 32.476 | 166.277 | Ford Mustang |
| 17 | 22 | Joey Logano (P) | Shell Pennzoil Ford | 32.482 | 166.246 | Ford Mustang |
| 18 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Love's Travel Stops Ford | 32.498 | 166.164 | Ford Mustang |
| 19 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (P) | Magical Vacation Planner Ford | 32.531 | 165.996 | Ford Mustang |
| 20 | 1 | Ross Chastain (P) | Kubota Chevrolet | 32.534 | 165.98 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 21 | 21 | Harrison Burton # | DEX Imaging Ford | 32.552 | 165.888 | Ford Mustang |
| 22 | 43 | Erik Jones | The Morgan Law Group Chevrolet | 32.605 | 165.619 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 23 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Princess Cruises Chevrolet | 32.609 | 165.598 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 24 | 48 | Noah Gragson(i) | Ally Chevrolet | 32.617 | 165.558 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 25 | 41 | Cole Custer | Dixie Vodka Ford | 32.669 | 165.294 | Ford Mustang |
| 26 | 2 | Austin Cindric # | Freightliner Ford | 32.728 | 164.996 | Ford Mustang |
| 27 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Kroger/Slim Jim Chevrolet | 32.734 | 164.966 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 28 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Smithfield Premium Bacon Ford | 32.761 | 164.83 | Ford Mustang |
| 29 | 38 | Todd Gilliland # | EO South Florida Ford | 32.776 | 164.755 | Ford Mustang |
| 30 | 42 | Ty Dillon | SunseekerResorts.com Chevrolet | 32.796 | 164.654 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 31 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Built.com Chevrolet | 32.854 | 164.364 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 32 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Huk Chevrolet | 32.973 | 163.77 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 33 | 77 | Landon Cassill(i) | Zeigler Auto/LoJack Chevrolet | 33.124 | 163.024 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 34 | 15 | JJ Yeley(i) | Jacob Companies Ford | 33.127 | 163.009 | Ford Mustang |
| 35 | 78 | BJ McLeod(i) | MSG Frankie Zombie Ford | 33.38 | 161.774 | Ford Mustang |
| 36 | 51 | Cody Ware | Nurtec ODT UBCF Ford | 33.615 | 160.643 | Ford Mustang |
# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
P – Playoffs eligible
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Comment
It seems like the Mustang crews have struggled this season…maybe better luck next year!?