The NASCAR Ford teams’ struggle continues at the Cup Series level, as only one Blue Oval racer posted a qualifying lap good enough for a top-10 starting position at Darlington Raceway on May 13th, 2023.
The No. 6 Ford Mustang of Brad Keselowski made a 29.572-second lap at 166.292 mph, good enough to secure the 10th-best starting position. He’s starting beside the No. 12 Mustang of Ryan Blaney, whose 29.059-second lap at 169.228 mph captured the 11th-place starting position.
By comparison, Martin Truex Jr. earned the pole position in the No. 19 Toyota TRD Camry, thanks to a lap at 169.409 mph and 29.028 seconds. Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 Camry will start in second, with a 29.04-second lap at 169.339 mph. The No. 47 Chevy Camaro of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the No. 24 Camaro of William Byron and the No. 1 Camaro of Ross Chastain will round out the top five when the green flag drops.
Meanwhile, two Toyotas – the No. 45 Camry of Tyler Reddick and the No. 54 Camry of Ty Gibbs – failed pre-qualifying inspection twice, and have each lost a crewmember and pit stall selection as a result. NASCAR did not disclose the infractions that it found on these race cars.
Ford has hit a bit of a slump in 2023. The Blue Oval only has one win so far this year, compliments of reigning champion Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Mustang, at Atlanta. However, there is certainly time for the NASCAR Ford teams to turn things around. In fact, Logano’s No. 22 Mustang ended up in Victory Lane at Darlington one year ago, bumping the No. 24 Camaro of Byron out of the way to win – so this is certainly the place to do it. If he wants to win, though, Logano will have to guide the No. 22 Mustang to the front from 15th.
The Cup Series race at Darlington will commence at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 14th, 2023.
| Pos | Car Number | Driver | Team | Time | Speed | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota | 29.028 | 169.409 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 2 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | Dr Pepper Toyota | 29.04 | 169.339 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 3 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Kroger/Country Crock Chevrolet | 29.141 | 168.752 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 4 | 24 | William Byron | Axalta Throwback Chevrolet | 29.212 | 168.342 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 5 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Worldwide Express/UPS Chevrolet | 29.255 | 168.094 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 6 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Quaker State Chevrolet | 29.3 | 167.836 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 7 | 5 | Kyle Larson | HendrickCars.com Throwback Chevrolet | 29.348 | 167.562 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Federal Express Toyota | 29.365 | 167.465 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 9 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | Forward Together Toyota | 29.392 | 167.311 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 10 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | Castrol GTX Ford | 29.572 | 166.292 | Ford Mustang |
| 11 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Menards/Dutch Boy Ford | 29.059 | 169.228 | Ford Mustang |
| 12 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Lucas Oil Chevrolet | 29.107 | 168.949 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 13 | 54 | Ty Gibbs # | Shriners Children's Toyota | 29.114 | 168.908 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 14 | 21 | Harrison Burton | DEX Imaging Ford | 29.117 | 168.891 | Ford Mustang |
| 15 | 22 | Joey Logano | Shell Pennzoil Ford | 29.139 | 168.764 | Ford Mustang |
| 16 | 20 | Christopher Bell | DeWalt Toyota | 29.238 | 168.192 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 17 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Smithfield Ford | 29.271 | 168.002 | Ford Mustang |
| 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet | 29.291 | 167.888 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 19 | 34 | Michael McDowell | StageFront.VIP Ford | 29.324 | 167.699 | Ford Mustang |
| 20 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | SunnyD Ford | 29.348 | 167.562 | Ford Mustang |
| 21 | 9 | Chase Elliott | LLumar Throwback Chevrolet | 29.354 | 167.527 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 22 | 31 | Justin Haley | LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet | 29.386 | 167.345 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 23 | 48 | Josh Berry(i) | Ally Throwback Chevrolet | 29.399 | 167.271 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 24 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Serial1.com E-Bikes Ford | 29.413 | 167.191 | Ford Mustang |
| 25 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Freightliner Ford | 29.428 | 167.106 | Ford Mustang |
| 26 | 51 | Ryan Newman | Biohaven/Jacob Co. Ford | 29.44 | 167.038 | Ford Mustang |
| 27 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Fifth Third Bank Ford | 29.456 | 166.947 | Ford Mustang |
| 28 | 43 | Erik Jones | Allegiant Chevrolet | 29.463 | 166.908 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 29 | 42 | Noah Gragson # | Sunseeker Resorts Chevrolet | 29.477 | 166.828 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 30 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors Chevrolet | 29.501 | 166.693 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 31 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Mahindra Tractors Ford | 29.684 | 165.665 | Ford Mustang |
| 32 | 41 | Ryan Preece | United Rentals Ford | 29.762 | 165.231 | Ford Mustang |
| 33 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Honest Charley Speed Shop Chevrolet | 29.961 | 164.133 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 34 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | NationsGuard Chevrolet | 30.066 | 163.56 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 35 | 78 | BJ McLeod | The Daily Down Force Chevrolet | 30.577 | 160.827 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 36 | 15 | Brennan Poole(i) | Macc Door Systems Ford | 30.684 | 160.266 | Ford Mustang |
# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
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