For the first time since late February, the NASCAR Cup Series is visiting a superspeedway this weekend. Talladega Superspeedway is scheduled to host the first of its two yearly races on Sunday afternoon.
Qualifying for Sunday's 188-lap Jack Link's 500 around the four-turn, 2.66-mile (4.281-kilometer) high-banked Lincoln, Alabama oval took place on Saturday afternoon, and it was a second-year driver, first with his current team, who emerged as a first-time polesitter.
Front Row Motorsports' Zane Smith posted an impressive lap speed of 182.174 miles per hour (52.565 seconds) in the second round of Saturday's qualifying session behind the wheel of the No. 38 Ford, giving him a 0.456-mile per hour (0.132-second) advantage over Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch, who is set to join him on the front row in the No. 8 Chevrolet.
The gap from Smith to Busch was larger than the gap from Busch to eighth place qualifier Josh Berry of Wood Brothers Racing, making Smith's first career pole a relatively dominant one as far as superspeedway poles go. He also topped the speed chart in the opening round of qualifying.
Who is set to start where at the longest oval on the Cup Series calendar? Here is the full 39-car rundown.
Make note of the fact that this starting lineup does not factor in any pre-race grid penalties.
Full NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup at Talladega
1st - Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
2nd - Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
3rd - Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
4th - Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
5th - Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
6th - Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
7th - Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
8th - Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
9th - Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
10th - Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
11th - Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12th - Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford
13th - Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
14th - Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
15th - Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
16th - William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
17th - Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
18th - Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
19th - A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
20th - Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
21st - Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
22nd - Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
23rd - Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
24th - Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
25th - Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
26th - Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
27th - Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
28th - Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
29th - John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
30th - Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
31st - Anthony Alfredo, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet
32nd - Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
33rd - Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
34th - Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
35th - Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
36th - Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
37th - Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
38th - B.J. McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
39th - J.J. Yeley, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet
Tune in to Fox at 3:00 p.m. ET this afternoon for the live broadcast of the Jack Link's 500 from Talladega Superspeedway. This race marks the first of 28 consecutive weekends of Cup Series action, a streak not seen since 1971. If you have not yet had the opportunity to begin a free trial of FuboTV, do so today and don't miss any of the action!