DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ross Chastain took the pole Friday for NASCAR's regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway.
Chastain covered the 2 1/2-mile superspeedway in 48.808 seconds, five-hundredths of a second faster than Chris Buescher in the second and final round of qualifying.
“It's almost indescribable," Chastain said. “This is a life achievement. This is a moment I will never forget.”
Chastain, who already has been eliminated from playoff contention, and Buescher will share the front row in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday night. Buescher is already locked into the 16-car postseason field.
Austin Hill qualified third, followed by Ryan Preece and Riley Herbst. Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch, Austin Cindric, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson rounded out the top 10 starting spots.
Trackhouse Racing landed all three of its drivers in the top seven, with van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch also turning in solid qualifying runs for the team.
Bubba Wallace, Cindric, van Gisbergen, Preece and Brad Keselowski are the five drivers vying for the final three spots in the 10-race Chase for the championship. Wallace and Cindric are close to being locked into the Chase and simply need to avoid debacles at Daytona on Saturday.
Keselowski is a long shot, acknowledging he “needs like a miracle.” to advance. That leaves van Gisbergen and Preece to battle for the 16th and final spot in the playoff field. Van Gisbergen leads Preece by 31 points — a relatively small cushion that could be quickly trimmed in the opening stages.
In previous years, the winner of Daytona's summer race would earn a spot in the playoffs. But NASCAR tweaked its playoff format this year, no longer guaranteeing a postseason berth to race winners and giving more credence to season-long results.
Chastain, meanwhile, will use the qualifying effort in his home state as a launching point for the Cup Series' stretch run and into the 2027 season, which begins back at Daytona in February.
“You have to be better coming back," Chastain said. “This the first crack at it. ... This is what we're looking for, and it's a really good feeling.”
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FILE - Ross Chastain is introduced to the crowd before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne,File)
DETROIT (AP) — Tarik Skubal shed some tears, walking on a field that used to be his home turf as the team that traded him away paid tribute to the two-time Cy Young Award winner with a video montage before the first pitch.
“Luckily enough, I was able to make it to the tunnel before more happened,” Skubal said after allowing one run over six innings to help the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Detroit Tigers 2-1 on Friday night. “It’s tough. This is the place I’ve known my entire career since 2018.
"It’s special.”
Skubal was welcomed with cheers and a smattering of boos in his return to Detroit, pitching for the first time against the middling franchise that traded him to the two-time defending World Series champions.
When the visitors' lineup and Skubal were shown on the videoboard and his name was announced before the first pitch, most of the crowd at Comerica Park clapped for him while some jeered.
The Tigers showed highlights from his seven-season career with the team and posted a message at the end: Thank you, Tarik.
Skubal turned his head to the right a few times to watch the video as he walked from the bullpen beyond the left-field wall and toward the Dodgers' dugout with a white towel draped around his neck, which he used to wipe away sweat and tears.
He extended his right arm, holding his glove, toward his former teammates and used his left hand to pat his chest.
After the game, Skubal returned to the field to catch up with some of his former teammates.
Skubal did not appear to react to, or acknowledge, the fans before or during the game and didn't get a chance to do so as he exited the game because a pitching change was made after the sixth inning in a 1-all game. He struck out seven over six innings with 83 pitches, the fewest since he threw 74 in the season-opening game in March.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the plan was to limit Skubal's pitches after he threw 106 and 109 in his previous two starts.
In a crowd that had mixed emotions about Skubal’s return, a couple young fans had fitting outfits sporting white Tigers jerseys with 29 and Skubal on the back — and a blue Dodgers hat.
When the left-hander jogged to the mound to pitch for the first time as a visitor in the Motor City, booing fans were heard first followed by more cheers from fans in the stands.
His first pitch was delayed because he appeared to have trouble with his communication device.
After throwing a 96-mph fastball for a ball, Gleyber Torres hit Skubal's second pitch to center for a double and the crowd roared in unison.
Skubal settled in, striking out Hao-Yu Lee and All-Star Kevin McGonigle and getting All-Star Dillon Dingler to fly out.
“It’s weird to see him on the other side,” McGonigle said before the game.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said the team's familiarity with Skubal might not be helpful at the plate.
“If anybody knows him, it’s us,” Hinch said. “You can know everything about a pitcher, that doesn’t make it easy to hit.”
That was evident when Skubal retired 12 straight batters, including striking out the side in the third, before Eduardo Valencia led off the fifth with a double. Max Clark followed with a two-out triple in the inning to break a scoreless tie.
The 29-year-old Skubal was drafted by Detroit out of Seattle University in the ninth round of the 2018 draft and spent his entire career with the Tigers until they dealt him earlier this month.
Skubal said in July that it was his preference to finish the season with the Tigers and to compete for a World Series championship, which has eluded the franchise since 1984. The Tigers, though, thought it was wise to trade him before the deadline to acquire three minor league prospects instead of likely losing him in free agency.
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws against the Detroit Tigers during the fourth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal smiles in the dugout against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal claps as he walks to the dugout before the first inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
