After taking his turn in the first qualifying round, Kyle Larson contemplated changing out of his uniform, figuring he wouldn’t transfer to the final round. It’s a good thing he decided otherwise.
NASCAR All-Star Race 2017 qualifying results: Kyle Larson wins pole
Taking advantage of mistakes by Joey Logano and Kurt Busch, Kyle Larson won the All-Star Race pole Friday night.
Larson unexpectedly advanced when Joey Logano overshot his pit stall, then went on to win the All-Star Race pole Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It marks the first time Larson will lead the field to the green flag in Saturday night’s annual exhibition race, featuring a select lineup of 20 drivers.
“Getting the pole is pretty sweet,” Larson said. “It’s so much fun. It’s my fourth season in Cup now and I have wanted to do it every year.”
The unique qualifying format saw drivers complete three laps around the 1.5-mile Charlotte track and make a full pit stop where the standard pit road speed limit didn’t apply. That meant drivers often hit pit road running speeds flirting with 150 mph, then having to come to a complete stop in their stall.
Kyle Busch qualified second, followed by Kevin Harvick, who was fastest in the first round, Jimmie Johnson, and Kurt Busch. These were the only five drivers to transfer to the second round of the 16 already secured of a spot in the All-Star Race.
“We probably could have all done a little bit better, but all in all we didn’t make any huge mistakes and that was the goal,” Harvick said.
Initially, Kurt Busch had the fastest Round 2 time. NASCAR officials, however, determined the No. 41 team failed to properly fasten two lug nuts on Busch’s car after pitting, assessing him a 10-second penalty. Johnson was penalized five seconds after overshooting his stall and backing up.
The remainder of the All-Star Race field will be filled by the three stage winners in the Open preliminary, which goes off prior to the main event. A fourth driver will advance via a fan vote.
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