Defending race winner Martin Truex Jr. is off to a solid start in his quest to earn a second straight win at the Quaker State 400.
Truex was fastest in the final round of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Friday (July 13) to secure his 19th career pole. It’s the fourth for him this season and first at Kentucky Speedway in eight attempts. Truex turned a 188.890-mph lap around the 1.5-mile racetrack to put his No. 78 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota on top of the charts.
Last weekend’s winner and Truex’s former teammate, Erik Jones, qualified in second. That’s his best effort since his first and only pole last August at Bristol.
Martin Truex Jr. earned the pole for the #QS400, and it looks like Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s feud isn't over.
Looks like we're in store for a great Saturday night race! pic.twitter.com/QG9003p0lK
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 13, 2018
Kevin Harvick qualified third while Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five lap times.
The Fords of Paul Menard, Ryan Blaney, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch qualified sixth through ninth while Ryan Newman rounded out the top 10. Daniel Suarez and Aric Almirola were the last two drivers to transfer into NASCAR’s final round of qualifying.
Notable drivers who qualified outside the top 12 include Chase Elliott (16th), Kyle Larson (18th), Joey Logano (19th) and Jimmie Johnson (27th). Denny Hamlin joined Matt DiBenedetto, Jesse Little and Timmy Hill as drivers who failed to turn at least one lap during any qualifying round.
As if the session wasn’t already full of drama, Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. both exchanged words throughout the day concerning Stenhouse’s involvement in multiple wrecks last weekend at Daytona. Stenhouse warned Busch not to keep “running his mouth” after an on-track confrontation on pit road while both were waiting to qualify.
"I can't worry about people that far back in the field." @KyleBusch didn't hold back when asked about his clash with the 17. pic.twitter.com/4LWsMVyMCP
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 13, 2018
"I felt like he ran his mouth enough …" — @StenhouseJr on why he didn't reach out to @KyleBusch pic.twitter.com/Ax81DFeS1F
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 13, 2018
QUAKER STATE 400 STARTING LINEUP
Coverage of the Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN with MENCS Countdown to Green. Coverage of the race itself begins at 7:30 p.m. ET, also on NBCSN.
About the author
His favorite tracks on the circuit include Barber Motorsports Park, Iowa Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, and Bristol Motor Speedway.
During the season, Christian also spends time as a photographer with multiple other outlets shooting Monster Energy AMA Supercross, Minor League & Major League Baseball, and NCAA Football.
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