NASCAR

NASCAR Charlotte 2013: Lineup, starting grid for Bank of America 500

If Matt Kenseth is going to hold onto the points lead in the Chase, he’ll have to make up some ground after qualifying 20th. Here’s a look at the complete starting grid.

by Mark Sandritter

Oct 12, 2013, 12:30 PM UTC

Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

Charlotte Motor Speedway will be the center of the NASCAR world on Saturday when the 1.5-mile track hosts the Bank of America 500. Jeff Gordon will start the race in front after he edged out Kevin Harvick for the pole.

Gordon finished third last week and is in fourth place in the Chase standings, 32 points behind Matt Kenseth. Another strong finish on Saturday could draw him closer to contention with five Chase for the Sprint Cup races remaining. His qualifying speed of 194.308 mph was just fast enough to top Harvick, who qualified second with a speed of 194.203 mph. Harvick will begin the race third in the Chase standings.

Jimmie Johnson, who is just three points off the lead in the Chase, qualified fourth. Kenseth didn’t have as much success, qualifying 20th with a speed of 191.993 mph. Kenseth has had success on 1.5-mile tracks this season, including four wins, but he’ll have some work to do early to join the leaders.

Kyle Busch, who is fifth in the points standings, qualified ninth, one spot ahead of his brother, Kurt. Here is a complete look at the starting grid for Saturday’s race. Car number in parentheses.

1. (24) Jeff Gordon

2. (29) Kevin Harvick

3. (16) Greg Biffle

4. (48) Jimmie Johnson

5. (5) Kasey Kahne

6. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr.

7. (39) Ryan Newman

8. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya

9. (18) Kyle Busch

10. (78) Kurt Busch

11. (43) Aric Almirola

12. (22) Joey Logano