With hands out the window in attempt to block the air and gain whatever speed they could, a full field of 40 NASCAR Cup drivers took on Talladega Superspeedway in Saturday's qualifying session.
In the end, Michael McDowell drove the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet to pole position with a fast lap of 52.481s. This is McDowell's eighth career pole, and all of them have come in the last two years for the veteran driver. This is also the third time in the last four Talladega races where McDowell has earned pole position, doing so with two different race teams.
