Bearing a throwback paint scheme honoring driver Cole Trickle from the movie “Days of Thunder,” Byron, 21, turned a lap of 172.487 mph to top Brad Keselowski (172.088).
Kyle Larson, Kurt Busch and Daniel Suarez rounded out the top five on the grid.
“The car was really good for us,” Byron told NBCSN. “We’ll see what happens. It’s a really long race. We’re in good shape in the points, so we can be aggressive.”
It’s Byron’s fourth career pole, all of them coming this season. By the way, Byron becomes only the third driver to win the pole for the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500 in the same season, joining Fireball Roberts and Bill Elliott.
NASCAR at Darlington starting lineup
Here is the starting lineup for Sunday’s race:
What time does the Bojangles’ Southern 500 start?
The Bojangles’ Southern 500 is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 1. Live coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET.
What channel is the race on?
The Bojangles’ Southern 500 will be broadcast nationally on NBCSN. The race also can be live-streamed on the NBC Sports app or by subscribing to fuboTV, which offers a seven-day free trial .
