Despite nine career victories at ISM Raceway and all of the pressure on him after his penalty, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick was able to sneak up on everyone and claim the pole for Sunday’s Can-Am 500 with a lap of 139.340 mph during the Final Round of qualifying Friday (Nov. 9). The pole is the 25th of Harvick’s career, moving him past Alan Kulwicki into 31st on the all-time list.
Roush Fenway Racing showed some strong speed during Friday’s qualifying session at ISM Raceway with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. qualifying third and Matt Kenseth leading the first round of qualifying. Kenseth will start the race in 17th.
Ryan Blaney will start the race from fourth and Tucson, Ariz. native Alex Bowman rounded out the top five.
Kyle Busch just barely missed qualifying in the top five and will start Sunday’s race from sixth while Erik Jones, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top 12.
Martin Truex Jr. (13th), Kurt Busch (14th), Clint Bowyer (16th), and Aric Almirola (18th) all failed to qualify for the Final Round. Some of these drivers are already in a hole and may need a bigger shovel if they are going to dig their way into the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Rick Ware Racing’s Cody Ware was the only driver entered to not turn a lap in qualifying. The team was working on a backup car that was a Premium Motorsports car at one time. The team was working on the car resulting in the organization not turning a lap during qualifying.
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES CAN-AM 500 STARTING LINEUP
Cup teams will be back on-track for Practice No. 2 in advance of Sunday’s Can-Am 500 kicks off at 11:30 a.m. ET on CNBC. Happy Hour is slated for 2 p.m. ET 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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