Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Matt Kenseth will start on the pole position for the second time at Bristol Motor Speedway

Food City 500 - Qualifying

Food City 500 - Qualifying

Todd Warshaw

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Matt Kenseth captured the second Sprint Cup pole position of his career at Bristol Motor Speedway, posting a lap at 128.632 mph Friday in his No. 20 Toyota.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who won at Bristol when he started first in August 2005, will begin the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes alongside Brad Keselowski (128.442) in the front row.

Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray, David Ragan and Austin Dillon rounded out the top 12 qualifiers.

Kahne was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to reach the final round as teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. (13th) just missed advancing along with the Hendrick-powered Chevrolets of Kyle Larson and Justin Allgaier. Jeff Gordon was worst among the Hendrick drivers, qualifying 23rd.

Landon Cassill qualified 17th, tying a season best, and Michael McDowell (19th) and Matt DiBenedetto (22nd) will start from their highest positions this season.

Among the notables who failed to advance from the first round of qualifying were Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (25th), Danica Patrick (26th), Jimmie Johnson (28th), Greg Biffle (33rd), Clint Bowyer (37th) and Sam Hornish Jr. (39th).

Qualifying results:

1 Matt Kenseth … 128.632 mph
2 Brad Keselowski … 128.442
3 Carl Edwards … 128.332
4 Kevin Harvick … 128.211
5 Denny Hamlin … 127.419
6 Joey Logano … 127.317
7 Kurt Busch … 126.871
8 Kasey Kahne … 126.829
9 Paul Menard … 126.829
10 Jamie McMurray … 126.612
11 David Ragan … 126.436
12 Austin Dillon … 126.262
13 Dale Earnhardt Jr. … 127.081
14 Kyle Larson … 127.073
15 Justin Allgaier … 126.562
16 Martin Truex Jr. … 126.503
17 Landon Cassill … 126.428
18 Ryan Newman … 126.088
19 Michael McDowell … 125.947
20 A.J. Allmendinger … 125.939
21 Tony Stewart … 125.831
22 Matt DiBenedetto … 125.798
23 Jeff Gordon … 125.609
24 Brett Moffitt … 125.199
25 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. … 126.378
26 Danica Patrick … 126.328
27 Casey Mears … 126.303
28 Jimmie Johnson … 126.146
29 JJ Yeley … 126.046
30 Aric Almirola … 125.823
31 Trevor Bayne … 125.798
32 David Gilliland … 125.625
33 Greg Biffle … 125.551
34 Jeb Burton … 125.510
35 Josh Wise … 125.453
36 Michael Annett … 125.158
37 Clint Bowyer … Owner Points
38 Chris Buescher … Owner Points
39 Sam Hornish Jr. … Owner Points
40 Alex Bowman … Owner Points
41 Mike Bliss … Owner Points
42 Cole Whitt … 191.367
43 Alex Kennedy … Owner Points

Did not qualify: Brendan Gaughan, Ron Hornaday Jr.

Follow @nateryan