Alex Bowman ripped the pole position from Josh Berry’s grasp Saturday by a margin thinner than Homestead’s victory-lane confetti. The Hendrick Motorsports veteran clocked a jaw-dropping 31.982-second lap (168.845 mph) at Homestead-Miami Speedway, crushing Berry’s hopes for a maiden pole by just 0.073 seconds.
The Straight Talk Wireless 400 on March 23 now hinges on a front-row showdown between Bowman’s tactical precision and Berry’s white-hot momentum. Berry, still riding the high of his first Cup win at Las Vegas, fell agonizingly short of pole glory. But his No. 21 Ford’s second-place start cements 2025 as his breakout season. Behind them, Noah Gragson and Chase Briscoe lurked in the top five while tire-strategy gambles loomed for the 1.5-mile chase.
Homestead Starting Grid Sets Stage for the High-Stakes Straight Talk Wireless 400
The 37-car field for Sunday’s race features a mix of veterans, rookies, and title hopefuls. Below is the full starting lineup by row:
Row 1: Alex Bowman (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet), Josh Berry (No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford)
Row 2: Noah Gragson (No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford), Chase Briscoe (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
Row 3: William Byron (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet), Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Team Penske Ford)
Row 4: John Hunter Nemechek (No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota), Austin Cindric (No. 2 Team Penske Ford)
Row 5: Bubba Wallace (No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota), A.J. Allmendinger (No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet)
Row 6: Chris Buescher (No. 17 RFK Racing Ford), Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)
Row 7: Ty Gibbs (No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota), Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
Row 8: Carson Hocevar (No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet), Christopher Bell (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
Row 9: Zane Smith (No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford), Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
Row 10: Riley Herbst (No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota), Tyler Reddick (No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota)
Row 11: Justin Haley (No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet), Kyle Busch (No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)
Row 12: Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota), Cole Custer (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)
Row 13: Ross Chastain (No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet), Michael McDowell (No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet)
Row 14: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet), Erik Jones (No. 43 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota)
Row 15: Todd Gilliland (No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford), Austin Dillon (No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)
Row 16: Ryan Preece (No. 60 RFK Racing Ford), Brad Keselowski (No. 6 RFK Racing Ford)
Row 17: Daniel Suárez (No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet), Ty Dillon (No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet)
Row 18: Shane van Gisbergen (No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet), Cody Ware (No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford)
Row 19: J.J. Yeley (No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet)
Chevrolet leads with 16 starters, while Ford (12) and Toyota (nine) aim to counter. Notable challenges await Kyle Larson (14th), Denny Hamlin (23rd), and Brad Keselowski (32nd) on Homestead’s abrasive 1.5-mile oval.
Alex Bowman’s Precision Outduels Josh Berry’s Momentum in Pole Battle
Bowman’s pole, his first on an intermediate track, highlighted meticulous preparation. The No. 48 team prioritized single-lap speed, a decision that paid dividends.
“I had a pretty clear-cut plan for qualifying,” Bowman said. “My race car gave me what I needed.”
His lap broke Homestead’s Next-Gen car record, set in 2022, and extended Hendrick Motorsports’ track dominance to five poles.
Still riding the high of his Las Vegas victory, Berry fell short but remained upbeat. “They’re making me look good,” he told his Wood Brothers team. The Tennessean has now qualified inside the top five three times in 2025, a stark contrast to his part-time role two seasons ago.
Challenges loom for both. Bowman admitted his Chevrolet struggles on long runs, a weakness Berry could exploit. “We’ve got work to do,” Bowman said.
Berry eyes back-to-back wins to cement his playoff bid. His No. 21 Ford has shown top-10 speed in six of the last eight races, signaling consistency rare for a sophomore team.
Sunday’s race airs at 3:30 PM ET on FS1, with tire strategy and pit execution likely deciding the 400-mile duel. For Bowman, it’s a chance to convert pole dominance into a season-first win. For Berry, redemption lies just 0.073 seconds behind.