Bubba Wallace secured pole position during the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Darlington Raceway today. This much-needed success came just ahead of the Cook Out Southern 500. As Wallace prepares to lead this 500-mile race on Darlington's challenging 1.366-mile track, the stakes are higher than ever. The pole position is important, positioning Wallace favorably as he fights to secure his place in the 16-driver Cup Series Playoff grid — a goal that has eluded him by a mere 21 points.

Clocking the fastest lap at an impressive 167.143 mph in the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota, Wallace was on fire. Reflecting on the achievement and its importance, Wallace said, via NASCAR:

"Looking at us coming in, being on the bubble, 21 points out, a ton of pressure, well, I think the pressure just switched."

Despite an initially frustrating practice session where Wallace finished sixth, he managed to keep calm and composed during qualifying.

"We're not here to mess around," he affirmed. "I showed up with a more open and calm demeanor, free and relaxing demeanor, but at the same time, I don't want to be messed with. So it's a fine balance you have to walk."

The journey to pole position wasn't without its challenges. Wallace, trailing Chris Buescher by 21 points for the final playoff spot, knew the pressure was mounting.

"Anything can happen. We saw that last week. So we have to run our own race and it makes it a lot easier for us. I have the first pit stall, and as long as we executive and make the right calls and do great on pit road," Wallace said. "All I want for every single person on this team, including myself, is to go to bed tomorrow night and know we did everything we could, we did all we could.

"Maybe it was good enough. Maybe it wasn't. That's the lottery ticket. We'll find out after tomorrow night's race."

Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing, commented on the continuous pressure throughout the season:

"It's tough because I think if you've got pressure in race 26, then I think that we've had 25 other opportunities where the pressure should have been the same.

"So just, what I've been preaching is that every race counts. You have to bring it every single week. You cannot take one week off in this thing, especially if you aren't winning. You have to be a top-10 guy every single week. So that's really, really hard to sustain.

"I still think Bubba is still on the rise, he's still getting better, and he's taken strides over where he was just two years ago. So I'm really happy with the result either way, but I know he's going to give his 100% effort."

On the flip side, Chris Buescher, who currently holds the critical advantage over Wallace, commented on his recent performance.

"The first round, I thought we did a good job; the team did a good job of making adjustments for the second round. We were working hard to try to make three and four better because we left a lot on the table there, but then I ended up messing up Turn 1 a little bit. It is still a good start for us," Buescher explained.

As the drivers prepare for the Cook Out Southern 500, rookie Carson Hocevar starts second — his best career start — Chase Briscoe third, and Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. round out the top five. Championship leader Tyler Reddick starts sixth, looking to maintain his lead. Wallace needs to win this race to secure his Playoff place.

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