For the second season in a row, Tanner Gray will start on the pole for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway after posting a speed of 178.241 mph in qualifying.
It’s Gray’s second career pole in 105 Truck starts. The No. 15 Toyota will start alongside TRICON Garage teammate Corey Heim.
Heim — who posted a speed of 177.795 mph — won last week’s race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Ty Majeski qualified third with Rajah Caruth and Layne Riggs making up the rest of the top five starters.
Caruth’s Spire teammates Chase Purdy and Connor Mosack will start sixth and seventh, respectively. Jack Wood qualified eighth, Kaden Honeycutt will roll off ninth while Bayley Currey rounds out the top 10.
Last year’s winner at Charlotte, Ben Rhodes, qualified 13th.
Christian Eckes enters the weekend as the points leader, but he’ll start 36th after an incident in practice. Contact from Honeycutt sent Eckes into the wall and forced the No. 19 Chevy to the garage for repairs. Eckes did not record a qualifying lap.
Eckes’ issues were just the start of a rough session for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. Tyler Ankrum spun coming off turn four on his qualifying lap, ultimately crossing the line with a time that placed him 34th.
Jennifer Jo Cobb and Justin Carroll were the two drivers who failed to qualify for the 36-truck field.
The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 is set to begin at 8:40 p.m. ET Friday. FOX Sports 1 carries the television broadcast, with coverage beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET
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