Elliott, Buescher to lead field to green to clashes at Bowman Gray

Chase Elliott and Chris Buescher earned the front row for the Cook Out collision at Bowman Gray Stadium after leading thread-to-thread in their respective heating.

The four heating races determined the first 20 drivers locked in Sunday’s main event. Everyone else will fight for two remaining spots through the last chance of qualifying races. The 23rd and final place goes to the highest driver of the 2024 championship, which was not already locked inside the clash.

Elliott and Buescher won the first two heating races. Both started on the rod in their respective 25-Lappers. The top five post -therapists in each heat race went on to the clash.

The first heat was the most aggressive, with three warnings after drivers used their bumpers. Elliott faced a little challenge.

Austin Dillon was the first caution after caught the apron and turned by himself on the lap three off turn 2.

The second caution on the lap six came when pushing and pushing the package came to his head when Kyle Busch pushed Justin Haley, who went on air as he ran across the left-back quarter panel of Noah Gragson. Gragson spun and brought the yellow out.

When the race was restarted, it quickly went into care again, this time for Josh Berry, who spun again 3 .. At the same time spun Haley Busch. Under caution, Busch Haley pushed for several laps before getting a “final warning” from NASCAR to get off Haley’s bumper.

The top five post -treaters who advanced were Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Gragson, Busch and Ross Chastain.

“It will be hard to win from the third or fourth row,” Elliott said of a railway position at Bowman Gray. “I think the first few rows certainly have a massive advantage in the rest of the field. Of course everything can happen. I have done this … long enough to know that something can happen. I am well aware of that, but I think that under a normal circumstance of people who do not quite crash each other or what, yes, I definitely want to be on the first few rows, and fortunately we are. “

The second and third hot runs were very tamer and caution -free. Buescher led Chase Briscoe, Shane Van Gisbergen, Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suarez to goal.

Buescher makes the clash for the first time under the current format. In the three years Nascar Los Angeles visited the exhibition race, he never advanced to the main event.

“A lot of things we learned about what we didn’t have to do there and we weren’t good any of the times we went,” Bescher said. “We steadily found some things that were a little better, but ultimately needed a pretty big overhaul. I would say that Preece has been a pretty big mover for us on some of these flat short clues. Some of the things he has done over the years that worked well – last year they excelled in this race style – really beneficial to RFK as a whole. “

In the third heat, Denny Hamlin Joey Logano, William Byron, Carson HOCEVAR and Alex Bowman led across the finish line to go into the clash. Hamlin led each lap.

Tyler Reddick started from the rod and carried each lap in the fourth heat, with two warnings flying.

The first happened on the lap six when AJ Almender ran Cole Custer into the wall from turn 4. Custer hit the wall and the right back, which sent the sole to a spin.

Seven seven then another immediate yellow. Ryan Preece ran into the back of John Hunter Nemechek on his page 3, apparently in retaliation, after Nemechek used his bumper to move Preece out of the way in Turn 2. .

The progress of the final heating was Reddick, Christopher Bell, Preece, Austin Cindric and Todd Gilliland.

NEXT: The Last Chance Qualifying Race at. 18 a Sunday.