Matt Kenseth doesn’t need to win the Monster Energy Cup Series regular season finale Saturday night to make the playoffs, but he took a step toward doing so by capturing the pole position in qualifying Friday at Richmond Raceway.
NASCAR Richmond 2017 qualifying results: Matt Kenseth leads Joe Gibbs Racing front row sweep
Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin will start first and second in Saturday night’s Cup Series regular season finale.
Kenseth posted a 122.421 mph average speed on the three-quarter mile Virginia short track to beat Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin (122.277 mph) and secure the top starting position. It was Kenseth’s second pole of the season -- he also won the pole at Richmond in April -- and 20th of his career.
“This is a great start for the weekend, hoping for the best [Saturday],” Kenseth said.
Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson qualified third and fourth, respectively, followed by Martin Truex Jr. Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chase Elliott, and rookie Erik Jones to round out the top 10.
Truex clinched the regular season points title last week and will be the No. 1 seed when the playoffs begin Sept. 17 at Chicagoland Speedway. Thirteen berths in the 16-driver postseason field have been solidified, and a win by any non- playoff-eligible driver Saturday night would lock them in.
Jamie McMurray, the last driver to hold a playoff transfer position, qualified 11th. Joey Logano, who won at Richmond in the spring but lost his postseason benefits due to a postrace rules infraction, will start 12th. Clint Bowyer, the first driver below the cut line, qualified 13th.
Both Logano and Bowyer can only advance to the postseason with a victory.
“I am cautiously optimistic. I think we are okay,” Logano said assessing his chances to win. “Our long run speed looked to be OK. I don’t think we are lights-out fast, but I think we are close enough that we can certainly make it interesting on everyone.”
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