Biggest takeaways from NASCAR O'Reilly Series qualifying at EchoPark Speedway

Despite a previously bleak forecast, qualifying for Saturday's 250-mile NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at EchoPark Speedway took place on Friday afternoon. 

Here are three of the biggest takeaways from Friday's qualifying session. 

RCR Chevys won't be up front

Perhaps the biggest story in all of NASCAR on Friday is the fact that the two Richard Childress Racing drivers of Jesse Love and Austin Hill, who have dominated recent O'Reilly Series superspeedway races, won't have control of the race at its start.

Hill, who won the pole at Daytona on Feb. 14 before going on to win the season-opening United Rentals 300, qualified a shocking 20th on Friday, while Love, a winner of three poles at EchoPark Speedway in four starts at the track, will start 10th. 

It likely won't take all that long for the two RCR Chevys to get linked together at the front of the field, but the field does seem to be putting up a fight so far this weekend.

Haas Factory Team flexes its muscle

After switching to Chevrolet from Ford over the offseason, Haas Factory Team seems to have some newfound speed in qualifying.

One week after drivers Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed qualified third and fifth, respectively, at Daytona, Mayer took the pole on Friday, while Creed qualified third for the second race of the 2026 campaign.

In the early going, at least, it could be the two HFT Chevrolets playing the role that Hill and Love usually take for themselves. 

Young talent will start up front

The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series has plenty of stars, but it is a developmental series at its modern core. Friday's qualifying session showcased the abundance of young talent currently in its ranks.

Four drivers — Taylor Gray (third), William Sawalich (fifth), Gio Ruggiero (seventh) and Corey Day (ninth) qualified inside the top-10 on Friday. Their relative inexperience has the potential to be on full display in what will likely be a chaotic race on Saturday evening, but at the very least, they've shown they have plenty of raw pace.