AVONDALE, Ariz. — Taylor Gray claimed his first pole position of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season Friday night at Phoenix Raceway – posting a lap of 130.743 around the famous desert mile.
Gray’s No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will start on the front row alongside reigning series champion Jesse Love’s No. 2 Richard Childress Racing’s Chevrolet in the GOVX 200.
Gray set the fast time midway through the session and had to wait out the contenders. Love turned in a good lap, missing pole speed by only .102 mph. His RCR teammate and the current championship leader Austin Hill was the last to turn a qualifying lap and ended up only 13th fastest.
“I was a little nervous, thought my buddy Jesse [Love] had me,” said a smiling 20-year-old Gray, who now has four career poles in the series.
“I knew we had a shot,” Gray said later. “Every once in a while I get this feeling we’re going to be pretty good and I did today. Was super confident especially after practice.”
Gray’s JGR teammate Brandon Jones was third fastest in the No. 20 Toyota, followed by Anthony Alfredo in the Viking Motorsports No. 86 Chevrolet – his best start since a third-place qualifying effort at Talladega in April 2024.
Two-time Daytona 500 winner William Byron will roll off sixth. He’s driving the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet this weekend in the first of three scheduled NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts. He’s a former winner in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix.
