NASCAR Cup Series driver Michael McDowell (71) reacts after qualifying for pole position for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Michael McDowell wins pole for Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Mar 15, 2025 4:04 PM ET

Michael McDowell laid down the fastest lap in Sin City on Saturday, winning the pole for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a time of 28. 883 seconds — the fastest qualifying lap at LVMS since 2018.

The pole is McDowell's first of the 2025 season and the seventh of his Cup Series career.

"Just so proud of all the men and women at Spire Motorsports," McDowell told Amazon Prime. "We had three cars in the top-10 (in qualifying) last week, and to come to a mile-and-a-half and sit on the pole, it's just a testament to everyone at Spire."

He got the top spot in #BuschLightPole qualifying!@Mc_Driver will lead the field to green at Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/OT4H9kNcD7
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 15, 2025

Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Kyle Busch and Erik Jones rounded out the top five, with Alex Bowman, Josh Berry, William Byron, Zane Smith and Kyle Larson completing the top 10.

Other notable qualifying efforts include Christopher Bell in 13th, Denny Hamlin in 15th, Bubba Wallace in 20th, Brad Keselowski in 27th and Ty Gibbs in 29th.

After crashing in Saturday's practice session, Ryan Blaney did not make a qualifying lap while the No. 12 team repaired his damaged Ford. He will start last (36th) on Sunday.

The Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will go green shortly after 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, with coverage on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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