Reddick and Wallace claim dominant front row lockout for 23XI at COTA

Before qualifying was over, 23XI Racing‘s Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace were worried that they had ruined each other’s laps, but in fact, their timing was perfect. Tyler Reddick earned pole position, just ahead of teammate Bubba Wallace who followed in his tire tracks around the updated 2.40-mile circuit.

“I was worried I screwed his [Wallace] lap up and he was worried he screwed my lap up,” said Reddick, who now has ten Cup Series poles, four of those on road courses. “Man, today really threw us for a loop. The pace was nowhere where we thought it was going to be. Everybody here at 23XI really had to go to work on our Toyota Camrys. We made massive improvements I think from practice 1 to practice 2 … Just really glad the day went like it did. That’s going to be great track position for us tomorrow.”

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images

For Wallace, this will be his best ever start on a road course. “When we come to the road course races, everybody in the Toyota camp leans on Tyler,” said Wallace. “He [Reddick] does a great job of giving us the right information, but I really thought I screwed his lap up. I got into Turn 1 better and I was just kind of close. I think if roles were reversed, I would have been like ‘back up off me and give me some room.’ But that’s just how good he is. Hats off to everyone at 23XI.”

As for the race start, Wallace was quick to say he would be the first to lift into Turn 1 as his teammate (who won at COTA in 2023) leads the way.

Where are their rivals starting on Sunday?

Qualifying rundown

After Shane van Gisbergen topped the charts in both practice sessions, few dared to bet against the road racing ace.

In the first group, it was indeed a Trackhouse driver leading the way, but it wasn’t SVG! Daniel Suarez went to the top at a 1:38.48 and while van Gisbergen got close, he ended up four hundredths behind his teammate.

As the second group began their runs, the dream of a front row lockout for Trackhouse faded. A defiant Carson Hocevar took all of the criticism from Atlanta (where he scored a career-best finish of second while angering several drivers) and turned it into fuel for this weekend. He toppled both Trackhouse drivers at the start of the second group and snatched up provisional pole with a 1:38.45.

However, the surprises weren’t over once the 23XI Racing duo rocketed to the top of the charts. Wallace, running in the tire tracks of his teammate, followed closely behind as they swept the front row. Reddick’s pole lap was a monumental 1:38.08s with Wallace at an impressive 1:38.30s.

In the final moments of qualifying, Chase Elliott was trying to rebound from a dismal first attempt and did just that, jumping up to third on the time sheets. Hocevar ended up fourth, Suarez fifth, van Gisbergen sixth, Kyle Larson seventh, Kyle Busch eighth, Ross Chastain ninth, and Todd Gilliland tenth.

Making his Cup debut in a Red Bull-sponsored No. 87 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, 18-year-old Connor Zilisch timed in 14th on the speed charts. He also earned pole position for Saturday’s Xfinity race.