Jesse Love wins first O’Reilly pole of 2026 at Talladega

Jesse Love clinched the pole position for the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on Friday, April 24.

The event’s starting lineup was determined through a two-round qualifying session. The first session featured 38 competitors battling for 38 starting spots, cycling once around the track to post the fastest lap. At the conclusion of the first session, the top-10 fastest qualifiers transferred to the second and final round, where they contested for the pole position.

Love, the reigning NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion and driver of the No. 2 Whelen/Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro entry from Menlo Park, California, posted the fifth-fastest lap at 181.711 mph in 52.699s seconds during Friday’s first qualifying session. After being one of 10 competitors to transfer to the final round, he then posted a single-qualifying lap at 182.313 mph in 52.525 seconds, which was enough for him to achieve the top-starting spot for Saturday’s main event.

With the pole, Love achieved his fourth consecutive O’Reilly Auto Parts Series pole position at Talladega Superspeedway, his first of the 2026 season and the 10th of his career. Love, who achieved his first O’Reilly career victory at Talladega in 2024 and is seeking his first victory of the 2026 season, is also competing for the third $100,000 prize of this season as part of the Dash 4 Cash program, which would be Love’s first time achieving the bonus if he finishes ahead of his other three contestants: Sheldon Creed, Justin Allgaier and Taylor Gray.

“An [O’Reilly] car, you can save a lot of fuel from the front,” Love said. He continued, saying, “That’s a benefit for me, but also just being able to control the start of the race. There’s always the potential for some really early drama that can take you out of it and you eliminate that factor. I’m happy to have a good car and a fast piece. Everybody at ECR [Engines] did a phenomenal job. We’ve been pushing the envelope and trying to get better every week this year. Looking forward to tomorrow and eventually linking up with Austin [Hill] and hopefully controlling the race even better than if it’s just me up there.”

Sam Mayer was the fastest driver during the first qualifying round with a 181.918 mph lap in 52.639 seconds. Ultimately, he qualified in second place with a lap at 182.168 mph in 52.567 seconds. Corey Day, Josh Williams and Sheldon Creed qualified in the top five, respectively.

Austin Hill, Rajah Caruth, Carson Kvapil, Anthony Alfredo and Mason Maggio, all of whom transferred to the final qualifying round along with Love, Mayer, Day, Williams and Creed, completed the top-10 starting grid, respectively.

Notably, Justin Allgaier and Taylor Gray, the latter of whom won last weekend’s event at Kansas Speedway to qualify for this weekend’s Dash 4 Cash program, qualified 11th and 26th, respectively. In addition, Tyler Ankrum, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor who is making his O’Reilly debut with Jordan Anderson Racing, will start 33rd.

With 38 competitors competing for 38 starting spots, all made the main event.

Talladega – Qualifying Position, Best Speed, Best Time:

1. Jesse Love, 182.313 mph, 52.525 seconds
2. Sam Mayer, 182.168 mph, 52.567 seconds
3. Corey Day, 181.974 mph, 52.623 seconds
4. Josh Williams, 181.949 mph, 52.630 seconds
5. Sheldon Creed, 181.946 mph, 52.631 seconds
6. Austin Hill, 181.873 mph, 52.652 seconds
7. Rajah Caruth, 181.584 mph, 52.736 seconds
8. Carson Kvapil, 181.491 mph, 52.763 seconds
9. Anthony Alfredo, 181.326 mph, 52.811 seconds
10. Mason Maggio, 181.151 mph, 52.862 seconds
11. Justin Allgaier, 181.298 mph, 52.819 seconds
12. Ryan Sieg, 181.292 mph, 52.821 seconds
13. Sammy Smith, 181.268 mph, 52.828 seconds
14. Patrick Staropoli, 181.199 mph, 52.848 seconds
15. Jeremy Clements, 181.134 mph, 52.867 seconds
16. William Sawalich, 181.062 mph, 52.888 seconds
17. Dean Thompson, 180.959 mph, 52.918 seconds
18. Brent Crews, 180.928 mph, 52.927 seconds
19. Parker Retzlaff, 180.905 mph, 53.934 seconds
20. David Starr, 180.887 mph, 52.939 seconds
21. Ryan Ellis, 180.829 mph, 52.956 seconds
22. Brandon Jones, 180.775 mph, 52.972 seconds
23. Blaine Perkins, 180.308 mph, 53.109 seconds
24. Jeb Burton, 180.288 mph, 53.115 seconds
25. JJ Yeley, 180.274 mph, 53.119 seconds
26. Taylor Gray, 180.234 mph, 53.131 seconds
27. Patrick Emerling, 180.203 mph, 53.140 seconds
28. Kyle Sieg, 180.183 mph, 53.146 seconds
29. Joey Gase, 180.139 mph, 53.159 seconds
30. Harrison Burton, 180.135 mph, 53.160 seconds
31. Austin Green, 180.014 mph, 53.196 seconds
32. Lavar Scott, 179.844 mph, 53.246 seconds
33. Tyler Ankrum, 179.639 mph, 53.307 seconds
34. Brennan Poole, 179.299 mph, 53.408 seconds
35. Josh Bilicki, 179.208 mph, 53.435 seconds
36. Natalie Decker, 178.814 mph, 53.553 seconds
37. Garrett Smithley, 178.773 mph, 53.565 seconds
38. Dawson Cram, 175.777 mph, 54.478 seconds

The 2026 Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway is scheduled to occur on Saturday, April 25, and air at 4 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN Radio and SiriusXM.