The North Carolina Education Lottery 250 at Rockingham Speedway is opening new doors for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Navigating the 0.94-mile track, a driver has secured his first pole.
The driver who qualified second missed the mark by a hair, just like in the Phoenix race. One team is looking to break a record set in 2008, while the other tries to defend it. With so much on the line, the qualifying order gives a sneak peek at the action awaiting the fans.
Qualifying Order for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Rockingham
The North Carolina Education Lottery 250 goes green at 2:40 p.m. ET on CW, while the pre-race starts at 1:30 p.m. ET. The weather looks manageable for Saturday, with temperatures in the 80s and only a 20% chance of rain.
The 250-lap race is broken into three stages of 60-60-130. Tire use is limited to four sets. Corey Day is all set to lead the pack after his first NOAPS pole, with a lap timing of 22.717 seconds during Friday’s qualifying session.
“It felt really good. We’ve got a really, really good car,” Day said after his qualifying run.
“Thanks to my guys, it always makes my job easy when it’s that good. Super excited for the race tomorrow, definitely in a good spot and I think track position is going to be pretty crucial.”
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It will be a new experience for him, as neither he nor crew chief Adam Wall has ever made an O’Reilly Series start at Rockingham.
NASCAR and high school sports journalist Jordan Ferrell reposted the official qualifying list. Here is a simplified version to help you mark your pick.
| Starting Pos | Car # | Driver | Team Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #17 | Corey Day | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 2 | #2 | Jesse Love | Richard Childress Racing |
| 3 | #99 | Parker Retzlaff | Viking Motorsports |
| 4 | #7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports |
| 5 | #1 | Carson Kvapil | JR Motorsports |
| 6 | #54 | Taylor Gray | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 7 | #41 | Sam Mayer | Haas Factory Team |
| 8 | #20 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 9 | #00 | Sheldon Creed | Haas Factory Team |
| 10 | #19 | Brent Crews | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 11 | #21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing |
| 12 | #39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing |
| 13 | #88 | Rajah Caruth | JR Motorsports |
| 14 | #18 | William Sawalich | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 15 | #96 | Anthony Alfredo | Viking Motorsports |
| 16 | #24 | Harrison Burton | Sam Hunt Racing |
| 17 | #51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing |
| 18 | #26 | Dean Thompson | Sam Hunt Racing |
| 19 | #8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports |
| 20 | #45 | Lavar Scott | Alpha Prime Racing |
| 21 | #28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing |
| 22 | #48 | Patrick Staropoli | Big Machine Racing |
| 23 | #87 | Austin Green | Peterson Racing |
| 24 | #44 | Brennan Poole | Alpha Prime Racing |
| 25 | #92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing |
| 26 | #42 | Nathan Byrd | Young’s Motorsports |
| 27 | #31 | Blaine Perkins | Jordan Anderson Racing |
| 28 | #5 | JJ Yeley | Hettinger Racing |
| 29 | #27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing |
| 30 | #91 | Alex Labbe | DGM Racing |
| 31 | #32 | Andrew Patterson | Jordan Anderson Racing |
| 32 | #02 | Ryan Ellis | Young’s Motorsports |
| 33 | #07 | Josh Bilicki | SS-GreenLight Racing |
| 34 | #74 | Dawson Cram | Mike Harmon Racing |
| 35 | #33 | Cleetus McFarland | Richard Childress Racing |
| 36 | #35 | Joey Gase | Joey Gase Motorsports |
| 37 | #55 | Blake Lothian | Joey Gase Motorsports |
| 38 | #0 | Garrett Smithley | SS-GreenLight Racing |
With things looking great for Day, will he be a roadblock for the JR Motorsports drivers who have dominated this season from the very beginning? That will be clear by the checkered flag.