For just the second time this season, Brad Keselowski will lead the field to green on Sunday afternoon. With a lap of 195.503 mph, the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford edged Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin will round out the top five.
Jeff Gordon, the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to make it to the final round, will roll off sixth, followed by Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Blaney. Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman rounded out the top 10.
With less than 13 minutes remaining in round 1, Casey Mears got loose and smacked the wall in turn 4, forcing his team to pull out the backup. He will start 38th.
The Sprint Cup Series will hold its final practice session Saturday morning from 10:30 – 11:25 a.m. ET ahead of Sunday afternoon’s race.