NASCAR lineup at COTA: Starting order, pole for EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix based on qualifying results

David Suggs

NASCAR lineup at COTA: Starting order, pole for EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix based on qualifying results image

Circuit of the Americas outside Austin, Texas, was added to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2021, but the races at the snaking road course have already tended to excite.

In 2021, Chase Elliott captured the checkered flag during a rainy day at the track, outlasting teammate Kyle Larson and Team Penske's Joey Logano en route to the win under a red flag.

The 2022 race held up its end of the bargain, as well, with Ross Chastain blitzed through the field — and held off late rallies by Alex Bowman and AJ Allmendinger — to secure his first Cup Series win.

What does 2023 have in store? Well, if history is any indication, another tightly contested race.

That means one thing and one thing only: the results of Saturday's qualifying rounds will go a long way in shaping the course of Sunday's race, the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

With that, here's what you need to know about the pole sitter for Sunday's race. 

Who won the pole for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix in 2023?

William Byron captured the pole in Saturday's final qualifying round, blowing past the field with a best speed of 93.882 mph. This is his ninth career pole and the first one he's notched at COTA.

"We had a little bit of work to do (Friday), just on overall balance, and we corrected some areas and some areas for me as a driver," Byron said, per NASCAR.com. "Good to get the pole, but really tomorrow is what matters."

EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix starting lineup 2023

Byron and Tyler Reddick will be on the front row for Sunday's race (3:49 p.m. ET green flag; Fox, TSN), based on qualifying results. They'll be trailed by Austin Cindric and Jordan Taylor, who will start in the second row.

Taylor, an IMSA standout, will take the wheel of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 car, replacing Chase Elliott, who is recovering from surgery to repair a leg injury he suffered in a snowboarding accident in Colorado. Elliott will be in the Fox booth for the race.

Starting pos. Driver Car No. Team
1. William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
2. Tyler Reddick 45 23XI Racing
3. Austin Cindric 2 Team Penske
4. Jordan Taylor 9 Hendrick Motorsports
5. Daniel Suarez 99 Trackhouse Racing
6. Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports
7. AJ Allmendinger 16 Kaulig Racing
8. Erik Jones 43 Legacy Motor Club
9. Kyle Busch 8 Richard Childress Racing
10. Noah Gragson 42 Legacy Motor Club
11. Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing
12. Ross Chastain 1 Trackhouse Racing
13. Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
14. Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
15. Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
16. Harrison Burton 21 Wood Brothers Racing
17. Ty Gibbs 54 Joe Gibbs Racing
18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
19. Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
20. Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
21. Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
22. Kimi Raikkonen 91 Trackhouse Racing
23. Justin Haley 31 Kaulig Racing
24. Jenson Button 15 Rick Ware Racing
25. Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
26. Ryan Preece 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
27. Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
28. Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
29. Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
30. Brad Keselowski 6 RFK Racing
31. Jimmie Johnson 84 Legacy Motor Club
32. Chris Buescher 17 RFK Racing
33. Josh Bilicki 78 Live Fast Motorsports
34. Ty Dillon 77 Spire Motorsports
35. Conor Daly 50 TMT Racing
36. Todd Gilliland 38 Front Row Motorsports
37. Cody Ware 51 Rick Ware Racing
38. Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
39. Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing

David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.