Brad Keselowski planted the No. 2 Penske Racing Dodge on pole position for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
During qualifying held Thursday, Keselowski lapped the 1.5-mile tri-oval track in 28.112 seconds (at the average speed of 192.089 mph) to take the second Coors Light Pole Award of his career.
The Penske Racing driver edged A.J. Allmendinger (191.693 mph), who will start his second consecutive Sprint Cup points race from the outside of the front row.
Sprint Cup points’ leader Carl Edwards will start third after running a lap at 191.686 mph.
Denny Hamlin (191.367 mph) will line up next to Edwards on the outside of the second row.
Jeff Burton (191.245 mph) qualified fifth. Jimmie Johnson, David Reutimann, David Ragan, the surprising Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Clint Bowyer completed the top 10.
Stenhouse Jr, driving the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford in place of Trevor Bayne, is the first driver to make his Cup debut in the Coke 600 since Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 1999.
Bayne expects to be fit to drive and make his return in the Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland on June 4 after more than a month-long absence for a still-unidentified illness.
During qualifying held Thursday, Keselowski lapped the 1.5-mile tri-oval track in 28.112 seconds (at the average speed of 192.089 mph) to take the second Coors Light Pole Award of his career.
The Penske Racing driver edged A.J. Allmendinger (191.693 mph), who will start his second consecutive Sprint Cup points race from the outside of the front row.
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| Brad Keselowski (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR) |
Sprint Cup points’ leader Carl Edwards will start third after running a lap at 191.686 mph.
Denny Hamlin (191.367 mph) will line up next to Edwards on the outside of the second row.
Jeff Burton (191.245 mph) qualified fifth. Jimmie Johnson, David Reutimann, David Ragan, the surprising Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Clint Bowyer completed the top 10.
Stenhouse Jr, driving the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford in place of Trevor Bayne, is the first driver to make his Cup debut in the Coke 600 since Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 1999.
Bayne expects to be fit to drive and make his return in the Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland on June 4 after more than a month-long absence for a still-unidentified illness.