NASCAR Michigan 2017: Starting grid, lineup for Pure Michigan 400

When Brad Keselowski won the pole Friday to earn the No. 1 position for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN), the driver who grew up about 90 minutes from Michigan International Speedway admits it gave him goosebumps.

The Rochester Hills, Michigan, native has long dreamed of scoring a victory on his home track, and winning the pole Friday indicates Keselowski may have the chance to do just that on Sunday. It was the Team Penske driver’s first pole in 17 attempts at the two-mile oval.

“When I saw that we were gonna win the pole, it put chills down my body,” Keselowski said. “It’s a great feeling. It’s a special track for me to have any kind of success at.”

Keselowski, whose best finish is second at Michigan, will share the front with teammate Joey Logano, a two-time Michigan winner. The teammates led a strong Ford showing in qualifying as they, along with Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick, gave the manufacturer a 1-2-3 sweep.

Matt Kenseth in a Toyota and Chase Elliott in a Chevrolet completed the top-five qualifiers. Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, Erik Jones, Kyle Larson, who’s won the past two Michigan races, and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top 10.

Keselowski backed up his pole-run and provided further credence that he’s a favorite to win Sunday by recording the fastest single-lap speed (200.865 mph) during final practice Saturday. Martin Truex, (200.172 mph) was second, with Logano (199.734 mph) in third.

“Michigan qualifying is a very important track because there’s not a lot of fall off in the tires, the handling characteristics that might change what would be a good car in qualifying versus what would be a good car in the race stays pretty consistent because of that and the track surface that it has,” Keselowski said. “That makes us feel pretty good.”