Brad Keselowski has never won a NASCAR premier division race in his home state, but he will have a great chance to do so Sunday after winning the pole in qualifying Friday at Michigan International Speedway.
NASCAR Michigan 2017 qualifying results: Brad Keselowski leads Team Penske front row sweep
Keselowski’s 203.097 mph lap bested Team Penske teammate Joey Logano (203.063 mph) to snag the top starting spot for the Pure Michigan 400. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick qualified third to give Ford a sweep of the top three positions. Matt Kenseth starts fourth, with Chase Elliott fifth.
Keselowski grew up in Rochester Hills, Mich., about 90 minutes from the two-mile track located in Brooklyn. It was his first-ever pole at his home track in 17 attempts and second pole of the 2017 Monster Energy Cup Series season.
“I’ve got goosebumps,” Keselowski said. “It feels really good to run well here. This is my home track, a lot of fans here. Really cool, really special.”
While his teammate Keselowski is locked into the 16-driver playoffs, Joey Logano needs to win one of the four remaining regular season races to secure a postseason berth. Logano won at Richmond Raceway in April, but a technical infraction found on his car during post-race inspection meant he wasn’t allowed to use the victory for playoff eligibility.
Logano is a two-time Michigan winner and has finished no worse than 10th in the past nine races at the speedway.
“It seems like Team Penske has brought some speed,” Logano said. “That’s a good sign. I feel good about it. We need a win, so this is a good start.”
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