Larson wins first Sprint Cup pole at Pocono
Long Pond, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Rookie Kyle Larson claimed his first career pole in the Sprint Cup Series after topping Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski in Friday's qualifying at Pocono Raceway.
Larson, who drives the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, turned a lap at 183.438 mph during the third and final round of knockout qualifying, which set a new record at this 2.5-mile triangular-shaped racetrack. The 22-year-old driver scored his maiden Sprint Cup pole in his 25th start. He edged Logano for the top starting position in Sunday's 400-mile race here by just 0.008 seconds.
'I had some butterflies before that last round,' Larson said. 'I knew we would have a good shot at the pole after the second round, but I was nervous. I hit all three corners about as good as I could, so I was really excited about that.'
Larson, who is of Japanese descent, became the first NASCAR 'Drive for Diversity' graduate to win a Sprint Cup pole. He started on the pole for the April 26 race at Richmond. Qualifying there was rained out, but Larson was awarded the top starting spot since he was fastest overall in practice. He has yet to win a race in NASCAR's premier series. Six races remain before the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship begins.
'I really think a win is coming soon, hopefully before the Chase starts,' he said. 'I got the pole at Richmond, but that was in practice. So this is a legit pole. I'm hoping for a really good weekend now.'
Logano posted a lap at 183.408 mph. He started on the pole and won this race in June 2012.
'I would have put millions of dollars on that lap being the pole,' Logano said. 'It felt so good. [Crew chief] Todd Gordon made great adjustments for each run. We kept going faster and faster, and I felt like I nailed all three corners. I was thinking, 'Oh, yeah, this is perfect. I got it this time.' And then I get beat. It sucks.'
Logano's teammate, Brad Keselowski, finished third in qualifying with a lap at 182.700 mph.
Kurt Busch placed fourth, followed by Jeff Gordon, the current points leader and winner of last weekend's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. Gordon has the most wins at Pocono with six.
Qualifying seventh through 12th were: Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won at Pocono in June, Danica Patrick, rookie Austin Dillon and Kasey Kahne, who scored the victory here one year ago.
The top-11 drivers in qualifying surpassed the previous track record of 181.415 mph, set by Denny Hamlin two months ago. Hamlin missed the cut for the final qualifying round by 0.045 seconds. He will start 13th.
Other notable drivers and their starting positions include: Clint Bowyer (14th), Tony Stewart (16th), Jimmie Johnson (17th), Matt Kenseth (18th), Ryan Newman (21st), Greg Biffle (25th) and Carl Edwards (26th).
All 43 drivers who attempting qualifying made the starting field.
Rookie Kyle Larson claimed his first career pole in the Sprint Cup Series after topping Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski in Friday's qualifying at Pocono Raceway.
When the series most recently competed at Pocono in June, Earnhardt passed Brad Keselowski for the lead with five laps remaining and then held off Keselowski at the finish for the victory. It was the first time he had won here in 29 starts.
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