In a week dominated with news of teams going above, beyond and in some cases using dubious means to favor their drivers, naturally a pair of teammates swept the front row in Sprint Cup Series qualifying.
NASCAR Chicago 2013 qualifying results: Joey Logano leads Penske sweep
Led by Joey Logano, Penske Racing swept the front row in Sprint Cup qualifying at Chicagoland Speedway.
Geoff Burke
Led by Joey Logano and followed by Brad Keselowski, it was Penske Racing taking the top two positions Friday at Chicagoland Speedway. It was Logano’s second pole of the season and capped an eventful week for the 23-year-old driver.
Last weekend at Richmond International Raceway, Logano had seemingly qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. However, on Wednesday it was revealed that he may have been given an assist when Front Row Motorsports struck a deal with Penske to allow Logano to pass Front Row driver David Gilliland in the closing laps.
There was uncertainty over whether NASCAR would penalize Penske and remove Logano from the Chase. But after concluding its investigation mid-afternoon Friday, the sanctioning body placed Penske on probation for the remainder of the year and kept Logano in the Chase.
“It didn’t impact my preparations at all,” Logano said after winning his seventh career pole. “I felt like I did a good job being able to stay focused. ... Hopefully this helps prove [his detractors] all wrong and that we deserve to be here. Because this 22 team has got what it takes and we’ve proven that all year long.”
Starting directly behind the pair of Penske teammates is Juan Pablo Montoya, who qualified third, followed by Kasey Kahne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Qualifying in positions 6 through 10 were Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Paul Menard.
The rest of the Chase participants qualified as follows: Matt Kenseth (10th), Kyle Busch (12th), Kurt Busch (16th), Kevin Harvick (17th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (18th), Ryan Newman (20th) and Clint Bowyer (24th).
NASCAR’s opening Chase race takes the green flag Sunday at 2:16 p.m. ET.
Geico 400 Starting Lineup
1) Joey Logano
2) Brad Keselowski
3) Juan Pablo Montoya
4) Kasey Kahne
5) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
6) Jeff Gordon
7) Greg Biffle
8) Carl Edwards
9) Jimmie Johnson
10) Matt Kenseth
11) Paul Menard
12) Kyle Busch
13) AJ Allmendinger
14) Martin Truex Jr.
15) Aric Almirola
16) Kurt Busch
17) Kevin Harvick
18) Dale Earnhardt Jr.
19) David Ragan
20) Ryan Newman
21) Jeff Burton
22) Denny Hamlin
23) Danica Patrick
24) Clint Bowyer
25) Brian Vickers
26) Marcos Ambrose
27) Jamie McMurray
28) Cole Whitt
29) Mark Martin
30) JJ Yeley
31) Casey Mears
32) Landon Cassill
33) David Reutimann
34) Josh Wise
35) David Gilliland
36) Justin Allgaier
37) Travis Kvapil
38) Michael McDowell
39) Timmy Hill
40) Reed Sorenson
41) Dave Blaney
42) Joe Nemechek
43) Tony Raines
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