Hocevar nets 2026 Brickyard 400 pole; Spire sweeps

Carson Hocevar won the Busch Light Pole for the 2026 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a lap of 48.232 seconds at 186.598 mph, leading a front-row sweep for Spire Motorsports. He will be joined on the front row by teammate Daniel Suárez, with Spire drivers occupying the top six spots overall, including Tyler Reddick third, Ty Gibbs fourth, Denny Hamlin fifth, and Michael McDowell sixth. The qualifying demonstrated a dominant Spire performance and capped Hocevar’s third career pole, underscoring the team’s strong weekend start. Hocevar expressed elation about the Indianapolis crowd and his love for the track, joking about using Spire’s notes after a two-year effort and teasing a rivalry angle with Joe Gibbs Racing. The Brickyard 400 is scheduled for Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET, with Bubba Wallace 29th and Ryan Blaney 13th among notable positions as the In-Season Challenge standings race forward. The event drew wide attention to Hocevar’s thrill, the team’s edge, and the stacked starting grid.