If Friday’s qualifying session at Michigan International Speedway was any indication, Joe Gibbs Racing is the team to beat.
Matt Kenseth put down a scorching 36.458-second lap to claim the Coors Light Pole Award for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
“Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) and these guys did a great job with out Dollar General Camry,” said Kenseth. “We definitely didn’t have the speed in practice and they made some great changes for qualifying there and got a couple good laps.
I messed up turn four a bit on that last lap, but we just had such incredible speed the rest of the lap that we were able to overcome that and get it.”
Kenseth’s 197.448-mph circuit put him just ahead of teammates Denny Hamlin (36.550) and Carl Edwards (36.683), who ended the session in second and third.
“It almost seems like an F1-type race out there in qualifying, and our organization is really making strides,” said Hamlin of JGR. “I think that it almost becomes a challenge within yourself to not be the last within your organization.”
Kyle Busch was forced to settle for sixth on the charts with a 36.838-second lap, just missing a chance to give JGR the top four starting positions at the Brooklyn, Michigan circuit.
“In the final round there, it was just a matter of not screwing up or it could have been all top-four,” said Busch. “I just got too tight there and didn’t hit the lap perfect and we ended up sixth.”
Austin Dillon (36.750) and Tony Stewart (36.833) split the JGR teammates in fourth and fifth, continuing a string of good qualifying performances for both drivers.
Busch, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Joey Logano rounded out the top 10.
The qualifying session was held with single-car runs due to the high-drag rules package the teams are competing with this weekend.
The stars of the Cup Series will return to MIS on Saturday for practice at 8:30 a.m. ET.
2015 PURE MICHIGAN 400 QUALIFYING SPEEDS
| POS. | CAR # | DRIVER | MANUFACTURER | SPONSOR | BEST SPEED | BEST TIME | BEHIND |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Toyota | Dollar General | 197.488 | 36.458 | Leader |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | FedEx Freight | 196.99 | 36.55 | 0.092 |
| 3 | 19 | Carl Edwards | Toyota | Arris | 196.276 | 36.683 | 0.225 |
| 4 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet | Dow | 195.918 | 36.75 | 0.292 |
| 5 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | Mobil 1 / Bass Pro Shops | 195.477 | 36.833 | 0.375 |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | Interstate Batteries | 195.45 | 36.838 | 0.38 |
| 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Jimmy John's/ Budweiser | 195.249 | 36.876 | 0.418 |
| 8 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | LOWES | 195.228 | 36.88 | 0.422 |
| 9 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | Chevrolet | Microsoft | 194.884 | 36.945 | 0.487 |
| 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | Shell Pennzoil | 194.405 | 37.036 | 0.578 |
| 11 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | Farmers Insurance | 194.133 | 37.088 | 0.63 |
| 12 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | 5-Hour Energy | 193.606 | 37.189 | 0.731 |
| 13 | 55 | David Ragan | Toyota | Aaron's Dream Machine Online Version | 193.632 | 37.184 | 0.726 |
| 14 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | Miller Lite | 193.554 | 37.199 | 0.741 |
| 15 | 9 | Sam Hornish Jr | Ford | Transportation Impact | 193.476 | 37.214 | 0.756 |
| 16 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | Haas Automation | 193.309 | 37.246 | 0.788 |
| 17 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | Caterpillar | 193.309 | 37.246 | 0.788 |
| 18 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | Cessna/McDonald's | 193.149 | 37.277 | 0.819 |
| 19 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Ford | Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center | 193.128 | 37.281 | 0.823 |
| 20 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Ortho Ford Fusion | 193.029 | 37.3 | 0.842 |
| 21 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | Pepsi | 193.009 | 37.304 | 0.846 |
| 22 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr | Chevrolet | Furniture Row/Visser Precision | 192.921 | 37.321 | 0.863 |
| 23 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Chevrolet | GoDaddy | 192.771 | 37.35 | 0.892 |
| 24 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevrolet | Richmond/Menards | 192.622 | 37.379 | 0.921 |
| 25 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | Advocare Ford Fusion | 192.005 | 37.499 | 1.041 |
| 26 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger | Chevrolet | Kroger/Scott'Products | 191.826 | 37.534 | 1.076 |
| 27 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | Ford | Zest Ford Fusion | 191.586 | 37.581 | 1.123 |
| 28 | 51 | Justin Allgaier | Chevrolet | Brandt | 191.367 | 37.624 | 1.166 |
| 29 | 26 | Jeb Burton | Toyota | Maxim/Estes | 190.713 | 37.753 | 1.295 |
| 30 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | Armour | 190.527 | 37.79 | 1.332 |
| 31 | 40 | Landon Cassill | Chevrolet | Snap Fitness | 190.049 | 37.885 | 1.427 |
| 32 | 83 | Matt DiBenedetto | Toyota | Cosmo Motors | 190.049 | 37.885 | 1.427 |
| 33 | 7 | Alex Bowman | Chevrolet | Advanced Patient Care | 189.384 | 38.018 | 1.56 |
| 34 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | Target | 189.23 | 38.049 | 1.591 |
| 35 | 35 | Cole Whitt | Ford | Dockside Logistics LLC | 189.091 | 38.077 | 1.619 |
| 36 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | MDS Transportation | 188.927 | 38.11 | 1.652 |
| 37 | 23 | J.J. Yeley | Toyota | Dr. Pepper | 188.753 | 38.145 | 1.687 |
| 38 | 34 | Brett Moffitt | Ford | CSX Play It Safe | 188.516 | 38.193 | 1.735 |
| 39 | 46 | Michael Annett | Chevrolet | Pilot Flying J | 187.98 | 38.302 | 1.844 |
| 40 | 13 | Casey Mears | Chevrolet | No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS | 186.533 | 38.599 | 2.141 |
| 41 | 32 | Josh Wise | Ford | SKUTTLE TIGHT | 186.022 | 38.705 | 2.247 |
| 42 | 33 | Travis Kvapil | Chevrolet | TBA | 183.673 | 39.2 | 2.742 |
| 43 | 98 | Timmy Hill | Ford | Premium Motorsports | 183.043 | 39.335 | 2.877 |
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