Posted on by Staff Report

After missing practice Friday, he returns Saturday pending RCR’s final appeal

RELATED: RCR to make final tire penalty appeal

Richard Childress Racing crew chief Luke Lambert was back at the track Saturday morning, one day after the organization filed for a final appeal of P5 penalties against the No. 31 Chevrolet team driven by Ryan Newman.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Veteran crew chief Todd Parrott filled in for Friday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, but Lambert — with his six-race suspension apparently deferred — reassumed the helm for Saturday’s two practices ahead of Sunday’s Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up To Cancer (1 p.m. ET, FOX) in which Newman will start 18th.

RCR’s No. 31 team was hit with severe penalties March 31 for tire infractions discovered during the Sprint Cup event nine days earlier at Auto Club Speedway. Aside from the six-race suspension — which applied to Lambert and two crewmen — the team was also docked 75 points in both the driver and car owner standings and fined $125,000.

The Childress camp made an initial appeal Thursday to the three-member National Motorsports Appeals Panel, which trimmed the fine to $75,000 and reduced the points deduction to 50 points. The panel, however, left intact the six-race suspensions, probation through Dec. 31, and the P5 severity.

Thursday, Lambert made a brief statement after the panel’s ruling, saying that the team was weighing its options. Late Friday afternoon, NASCAR officials indicated that Richard Childress Racing had filed the necessary paperwork to conduct a final appeal by National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer Bryan Moss.

MORE:

READ: Latest
 NASCAR news

PLAY: Sign up
 for Fantasy Live

WATCH: Latest
 NASCAR video

FOLLOW LIVE: Get
 RaceView today
Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Next standout to start first for third straight race

RESULTS: Qualifying

RELATED: Joe Gibbs says Erik Jones is ‘on the fast track’ to Cup

Erik Jones launched to the 21 Means 21 Pole Award for the third straight race in Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Jones, a first-time winner last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, topped the five-minute final round of knockout qualifying with a fast lap of 125.158 mph on the .533-mile track. He’ll start first in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota for Saturday’s Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1).

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

The pole position was the 18-year-old NASCAR Next driver’s third of the season, third in a row and third in his XFINITY Series career.

Joey Logano, who won the pole in each of his previous XFINITY starts this season, will share the front row in Saturday afternoon’s 300-lapper after turning in the second-fastest lap at 124.768 mph in the Team Penske No. 22 Ford.

Austin Dillon, Brian Scott and Denny Hamlin completed the top five in qualifying for the series’ seventh of 33 races this season.

Defending series champion Chase Elliott will start 13th in the JR Motorsports No. 9 Chevy, after just missing the cut for the final five-minute qualifying session. XFINITY Series points leader Ty Dillon was also eliminated after Round 2 in qualifying and will start 16th in the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet. Both Dillon and Elliott had trouble in Friday’s final practice, but recovered after repairs.

Jones led the second round of qualifying at 124.678 mph, and Logano was fastest in the opening qualifying round at 124.800 mph. Cale Conley caused the only stoppage in qualifying, looping his No. 14 Toyota five minutes into the opening round and making slight contact with the Turn 4 retaining wall.

MORE:

READ: Latest
 NASCAR news

PLAY: Sign up
 for Fantasy Live

WATCH: Latest
 NASCAR video

FOLLOW LIVE: Get
 RaceView today
Posted on by Staff Report

Incidents snag Stewart, Edwards, Stenhouse, Johnson in early session

Results: Final practice | Practice 2

Kurt Busch secured his spot at the top of the leaderboard Saturday in final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Busch, a five-time Bristol winner driving the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41 Chevrolet, clocked a fast lap of 127.554 mph on the .533-mile track in final prep for Sunday’s Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up To Cancer (1 p.m. ET, FOX). Busch, who will start seventh Sunday, scored his first Sprint Cup victory at Bristol in 2002 but has not won at the Tennessee short track since 2006.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Kasey Kahne, fastest in the opening two Sprint Cup practices, continued to pour it on in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet with a lap of 126.537 mph. David Ragan, making his seventh start in place of the injured Kyle Busch, was third-fastest at 126.503 in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota.

Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon, another five-time Bristol winner, was fourth-fastest, just ahead of rival Brad Keselowski, who completed the top five.

Keselowski, a two-time Bristol winner, emerged with a scrape of the outside wall during the 55-minute session. He was second-fastest at the time with the Team Penske No. 2 Ford before fading slightly on the final leaderboard.

Sprint Cup points leader Kevin Harvick landed the seventh-fastest lap in final practice. Matt Kenseth, winner of the Coors Light Pole Award in Friday’s qualifying, was 19th-fastest.

Kahne keeps cooking in eventful second practice

Kasey Kahne continued a steady show of speed Saturday morning at Bristol Motor Speedway, topping the charts during a busy second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice.

Kahne, who also set the pace in Friday’s opening practice and will start eighth in  Sunday’s Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up To Cancer (1 p.m. ET, FOX), turned in a fast lap of 126.829 mph in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet during the 55-minute session. He also managed to avoid the handful of tangles that left the cars of Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with damage.

Sprint Cup Series points leader Kevin Harvick was second-fastest in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet at 126.395 mph. Joey Logano, winner of the most recent Sprint Cup race at the .533-mile track last August, drove the Team Penske No. 22 Ford to the third-best lap at 126.137 mph.

Kurt Busch, in another Stewart-Haas Chevy, was fourth-fastest with the Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Denny Hamlin completing the top five. Matt Kenseth, who claimed the Coors Light Pole Award in Friday’s qualifying, cooled off to a 19th-fastest time in second practice.

The early morning session was littered by incidents, leading off with Stewart’s slide into the outside retaining wall near the 10-minute mark. The team made repairs, getting the three-time series champion back on the track in the waning moments of practice.

Just seven minutes later, former teammates Edwards and Stenhouse collided. Stenhouse’s No. 17 Ford sustained significant nose damage, remedied by tape by his Roush Fenway Racing crew. Edwards’ No. 19 Toyota from the Gibbs stables continued with rear-end damage.

Later in the session, Jimmie Johnson scraped the outside barrier with his Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet.

A final, 55-minute Sprint Cup Series practice is scheduled Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET (FOX Sports 1).

MORE:

READ: Latest
 NASCAR news

PLAY: Sign up
 for Fantasy Live

WATCH: Latest
 NASCAR video

FOLLOW LIVE: Get
 RaceView today
Posted on by Nascar

Get caught up before Sunday’s race at the Tennessee short track

RELATED: Start delayed by rain | Live weather updates | Bristol’s statement on Sunday’s race
Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live

What: 55th annual Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to Cancer
Where: Bristol Motor Speedway
When: Sunday, April 19, 2015
TV/Radio: FOX Sports; PRN
Distance: 500 laps; 266.5 miles
Time: 1 p.m. ET (1:03 p.m. green flag). Start of the race delayed by rain but got underway at 2:31 p.m. ET before rain brought out the red flag on Lap 23.
 
Pit Road Speed: 30 mph
Caution Car Speed: 35 mph
Competition Caution: Lap 60
MORE: See the crew chief handout for the race

On The Front Row | Starting lineup | See all 43 cars
1. Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota (128.632 mph)
2. Brad Keselowski, Team Penske No. 2 Ford (128.442 mph)

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Failed To Qualify
Brendan Gaughan, Premium Motorsports No. 62 Chevrolet; Ron Hornaday Jr., TMG No. 30 Chevrolet.
 
Fastest In Practice
First Practice: Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet (128.168 mph) | Full practice results
Second Practice: Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet (126.829 mph) | Full practice results
Third Practice: Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41 Chevrolet (127.554 mph) | Full practice results

Swapping the Lead
There were a record 40 lead changes during the 1991 spring race at Bristol won by Rusty Wallace. It was his first win with car owner Roger Penske.
 
There at the Finish
Only three drivers have completed all 2,150 laps contested this year – Joey Logano (Team Penske No. 22 Ford), Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet) and Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Chevrolet). Coincidentally, all three drivers have opened the season with seven straight top-10 finishes.
 
Long Way to the Front
"If you can stay on the lead lap and deal with the attrition, you’ll be in decent shape. … But we’re in a big hole. There’s no way around it." – Jimmie Johnson (starting 28th)

MORE: Full list of songs for driver intros at Bristol
 
Small Team, Big Dream
"Our car is really good. … Bristol is a place where you can have a small team race well, and I don’t think we’ll be the only ones you see that with on Sunday." – Leavine Family Racing Driver Michael McDowell (starting 19th)

Right Behind the Leaders
"We have a very fast car, and it’s going to be a fun race. Pit selection is going to be great, and the pit crew is fast. If everything goes the way I think it is, then I think we should be leading after the first caution and that would be great." – Carl Edwards, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota (starting third)
 
From First to First?
Matt Kenseth’s 31 career Sprint Cup victories include only two that came from the pole, and the first took place here at Bristol in 2005. He also won after starting on the pole at Kansas Speedway in 2013. His two other wins at BMS came after qualifying fourth (’06) and fifth (’13).

Driver Rating
Best driver rating average at Bristol based on past 10 years among drivers in Sunday’s race:
1. Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota (103.4)
2. Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet (99.9)

Defending Food City 500 Champion
Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing, No. 99 Ford (Edwards now drives for JGR in the No. 19 Toyota)
 
Former Bristol Winners In Field
Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon (5); Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth (3); Brad Keselowski (2); Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, Tony Stewart (1).

MORE:

READ: Latest
 NASCAR news

PLAY: Sign up
 for Fantasy Live

WATCH: Latest
 NASCAR video

FOLLOW LIVE: Get
 RaceView today
Posted on by Nascar

Joe Gibbs Racing driver is winless in last 51 Sprint Cup races entering Bristol

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live
RELATED: Kenseth earns Coors Light Pole at Bristol | See full 43-car field

BRISTOL, Tenn. – The driver that won the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races two years ago hasn’t been back to Victory Lane since, and that’s all you need to know about how difficult it is to win races today.
 
Fourteen drivers have won at least one points race since Matt Kenseth reeled off back-to-back wins to open the 2013 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. There have been first-time winners and those that continue to make return visits to Victory Lane.
 
Kenseth, meanwhile, has been close – he’s finished second-best four times since his last win. But the checkered flags have thus far waved over someone else.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

There have been changes in the Joe Gibbs Racing organization, the biggest of which was the addition of a fourth team with driver Carl Edwards in the offseason and a crew chief shakeup that affected teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin.
 
Jason Ratcliff, crew chief for Kenseth, remains atop the pit box of the No. 20 Toyota team. Why mess with success, right?

"Everything is just so tied together," Kenseth said Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway, site of Sunday’s Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to Cancer (FOX, 1 p.m. ET). "I feel like all the drivers have gotten a lot smarter and there is just so much more information available to all of us … where you can study where drivers are beating you, at least if they’re in the same stable.
 
"There are just so many tools to get everybody so much closer together. If you get off by just a little bit … it’s tough to beat those guys and sometimes it’s hard to figure out why you’re off by that little bit."

Busch has been sidelined since this year’s opening race weekend, left to Monday-morning quarterback from home while recovering from injuries sustained at Daytona. In his absence, David Ragan has stepped in with the No. 18 team. Hamlin, meanwhile, has been called up to fill in for the group’s XFINITY effort, limiting his post-practice debriefs with teammates.
 
That might not seem like a big deal on the outside but Kenseth admitted it had had an impact.
 
Hamlin missed four races in ’13 after suffering a back injury early in the season. Busch’s return remains an unknown.
 
"A lot of times after practice it will just be me and David and Carl, so it’s me and two guys that weren’t there last year," Kenseth said, "which makes it a little bit more difficult."
 
On the bright side, Kenseth won’t be chasing anyone when Sunday’s race gets underway – on Friday he qualified on the pole. He’s won here before, from the No. 1 starting spot in ’05 as well as wins in 2006 and 2013, and he finished third in last year’s August night race.
 
Auto Club Speedway and Martinsville Speedway showed promise this year, he said, "but still we haven’t had the consistency. …
 
"I don’t know … a couple of years ago I felt like we were a threat everywhere we went. I just don’t know when we show up week to week now exactly what to expect. You go there hoping for the best, hoping your car is driving good and having what you need to compete, but you really don’t know until you get there and get on track, get through that first practice or so."
 
The dry spell is a concern, but Kenseth’s willing to ride it out. Although he turned 43 earlier this year, retirement isn’t on his radar. Of a more immediate concern is helping improve the overall performance of JGR, and the No. 20 team in particular.
 
"Obviously as a company we have to get running better," he said. "I don’t feel like my teammates are running first, second and third and I’m running 18th. I feel like we have to get all of us running better. …
 
"I have to be better and … I know that and I work at getting better every week. I have since the first day I came into this sport; I realize how hard it is and you have to keep working hard to stay on top of your game."

MORE:

READ: Latest
 NASCAR news

PLAY: Sign up
 for Fantasy Live

WATCH: Latest
 NASCAR video

FOLLOW LIVE: Get
 RaceView today
Posted on by Nascar

Driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet has just one win at Tennessee short track

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Bristol Motor Speedway hasn’t been a terrible track for Jimmie Johnson, but the Hendrick Motorsports driver has been far from a dominant force at the .533-mile, high-banked facility.
 
Of his 72 career victories, only one has come at Bristol, here in the spring race of 2010.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

"There’s still a lot to learn here at Bristol, even after coming here for 16 years," the six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion said Friday.
 
He said it before qualifying, and again afterward, when his No. 48 Chevrolet logged only the 28th-quickest qualifying time for Sunday’s Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to Cancer (1 p.m. ET, FOX). Johnson also made contact with the wall during Saturday’s opening practice session damaging the right side of his car.
 
"It’s just been a struggle," the 39-year-old said. "I mean, in (Friday’s) practice we were on one side of it and then in qualifying we were on a different side. It’s a frustrating Friday. Bristol can be that way for us."
 
Far different results here this time than a week earlier at Texas Motor Speedway where Johnson and his team were on the money almost as soon as the car rolled off the transporter. At Texas, Johnson led 128 of the 334 laps in the Duck Commander 500 en route to his second win of the season.
 
Matt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 20 Toyota) and Brad Keselowski (Team Penske, No. 2 Ford) led qualifying, and will start 1-2, respectively, on Sunday. Johnson hopes to be able to see the leaders through his windshield before he sees them in his rearview. Bristol’s like that for those who find themselves deep in the field — even with a strong car, start too far back and the frontrunners will suddenly be on one’s bumper.
 
"I love this track," he said. "I just wish that I could show up and walk in the gates … like I do at a lot of my other tracks that I’m strong at."
 
Fourth here in the annual night race a year ago, Johnson also finished second in the night race of 2012. But those two are sandwiched around finishes of 22nd, 36th and 19th.
 
There’s hope, though, thin as it might seem.
 
"If you can stay on the lead lap and deal with the attrition, you’ll be in decent shape," he said. "We won’t have any favors on pit road."
 
Bristol is the lone remaining Sprint Cup track that features two pit roads — with 22 pit stalls located on the frontstretch and 21 on the back. Winners rarely come from among those pitting on the backstretch, but it has happened. Johnson will pit in stall 32, which is on the backstretch.
 
"In some ways it’s nice that we qualified so bad that we might find an opportunity on pit road to make up somewhere and work some slower traffic that way," said Johnson, "but we’re in a bit hole. There is no way around it.
 
"But it’s a long race. You can still salvage a nice finish here out of being smart an running a strong race and that’s what we’re going to have to do."

MORE:

READ: Latest
 NASCAR news

PLAY: Sign up
 for Fantasy Live

WATCH: Latest
 NASCAR video

FOLLOW LIVE: Get
 RaceView today
Posted on by

Brad Keselowski will start on front row next to Joe Gibbs Racing driver

VIDEO: Out front with Miss Coors Light: Food City 500

RELATED: See the full 43-car field | Starting lineup for Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn.—If history repeats itself on Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, Matt Kenseth won’t have a problem with it.
 
The last time Kenseth won a pole at the high-banked .533-mile short track—back in 2005—he followed with a victory in the race.
 
In Friday’s time trials at Thunder Valley, with a lap at 128.632 mph (14.917 seconds) Kenseth earned the 14th Coors Light Pole Award of his career, his second at Bristol and his first of the season.

And that’s a good omen for a driver who hasn’t won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race since his seven-victory debut season with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2013.
 
Kenseth edged two-time Bristol winner Brad Keselowski (128.442 mph) for the top starting spot by .022 seconds. Carl Edwards (128.322 mph) qualified third, his best effort of the season so far, and reigning series champion Kevin Harvick (128.211 mph) will start fourth in Sunday’s Food City 500 to Support Steve Byrnes (1 p.m. on FOX).
 
Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano (who was fastest in each of the first two rounds of knockout qualifying), Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne earned the fifth through eighth spots on the grid, as all of the top eight qualifiers are former Bristol winners.
 
"We need to be able to go out and win races," Kenseth said. "Last year and so far this year haven’t been particularly great for JGR. I think we’ve had two wins that weren’t plate races in the last year and a half as a company.
 
"So, obviously, as a company, we’ve got to get running better. … We’ve just got to keep working on it, and I’ve certainly got to be better. I need to do a better job, and I know that. I work at getting better every week, and I have, I think, since the first day I came into this sport."
 
If Kenseth is to capitalize on his pole position, his team will have to improve the handling of the No. 20 Toyota in race trim.
 
"You have to be able to stay on your tires for a long time," the 2003 series champion said. "You have to have good balance at the end of the run. You have to be pretty fast at the beginning of the run so you don’t give up spots on restarts—it is hard to pass later the run.
 
"I wasn’t really thrilled with the way my car drove in race trim (in practice) today, but in qualifying trim it would run a fast lap. So I certainly think we’ve got some work to do (in Saturday’s practice)."
 
So does Jimmie Johnson. Last week’s Texas winner didn’t survive the first elimination in qualifying and will start 28th in Sunday’s race. In fact, Kahne was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to advance to the final round in Friday’s time trials.
 
David Ragan continued his solid effort in relief of injured Kyle Busch, qualifying 11th in the No. 18 JGR Camry.
 
Note: Brendan Gaughan and Ron Hornaday Jr. failed to make the 43-car field.

MORE:

READ: Latest
 NASCAR news

PLAY: Sign up
 for Fantasy Live

WATCH: Latest
 NASCAR video

FOLLOW LIVE: Get
 RaceView today
Posted on by Staff Report

Veteran will be the fifth driver to run the No. 34 car in 2015

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live

Reed Sorenson will drive the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Fusion at Richmond International Raceway in next Saturday’s Toyota Owners 400 (7 p.m. ET, FOX).

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Sorenson will be the fifth driver to run the car in 2015. David Ragan, who entered the season as the primary driver for the ride, took over the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing car at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the injured Kyle Busch.

Joe Nemechek took over the reins at Atlanta with Michael Waltrip Racing driver Brett Moffitt running two races. Roush Fenway Racing XFINITY racer Chris Buescher will run his fourth consecutive race for the team this weekend at Bristol.

Last weekend at Texas, Buescher noted that he would step out of the ride at RIR "to keep focus on the XFINITY side."

"The schedule at Richmond would be extremely hectic and it’s not fair to my guys on the XFINITY side to be trying to run back and forth all day like that," Buescher said. "We’re sitting at a really good spot in points right now and we need to make sure we put in all our efforts to be able to go win that championship. If that means sitting out a weekend in the Cup car, that’s absolutely OK."

A four-time winner in the XFINITY Series, Sorenson’s best finish in 226 Sprint Cup starts is third at his home track, Atlanta, in 2007. The Peachtree City, Georgia native finished 32nd in this year’s Daytona 500 for Team Xtreme, his lone start in 2015. Sorenson failed to qualify for four races with RAB Racing.

MORE:

READ: Latest
 NASCAR news

PLAY: Sign up
 for Fantasy Live

WATCH: Latest
 NASCAR video

FOLLOW LIVE: Get
 RaceView today
Posted on by Staff Report

Schools compete for technology renovation common rooms

Vote: Choose from four finalists

The NASCAR Foundation announced on Friday the school finalists in its inaugural P.I.T. (Promoting Innovation and Technology) Crew Project, a NASCAR-themed science competition among middle schools within Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

Coulwood STEM Academy (Team Wildcats), Kennedy Middle School (Team Intimidators), Mountain Island Lake Middle School (Team Friction Defiers) and Randolph Middle School (Team Racing Raiders) were named finalists by a special selection committee comprised of NASCAR industry members.

Beginning today, the public will vote online at NASCAR.com/pitcrewproject to determine which student team created the model or concept that best illustrates science and technology principles through motorsports applications.

Video presentations of the finalists’ projects are featured on the program website, and the voting phase will run through May 13.

The middle school that receives the most votes will receive a technology renovation for one of its common rooms, courtesy of The NASCAR Foundation and Sprint, and have the team’s project considered for display in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

"It’s clear by watching the finalist videos just how much energy and enthusiasm went into these projects," Lorene King, executive director of The NASCAR Foundation, said. "We encourage everyone to vote and are very excited to see which outstanding team is rewarded with new, cutting-edge technology resources for their school."

The winner will be unveiled around 2015 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race festivities in Charlotte. Each of the four finalist schools will receive field trips for up to 300 students to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

MORE:

READ: Latest
 NASCAR news

PLAY: Sign up
 for Fantasy Live

WATCH: Latest
 NASCAR video

FOLLOW LIVE: Get
 RaceView today
Posted on by Staff Report

See where your favorite driver will pit on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX)

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live

Related: See the full 43-car field for Bristol

Matt Kenseth won the Coors Light Pole Award at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to Cancer (1 p.m. ET, FOX) and got his pick of pit stalls on pit road.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Kenseth chose the pit stall closest to the exit of pit road in Turn 1.

Kevin Harvick (starting fourth) chose the pit stall closest to the entrance of pit road in Turn 2. Brad Keselowski (starting second) has pit stall 23, which is the pit stall closest to Turn 3. Carl Edwards has pit stall 22, which is the first pit box on the Turn 4 side of pit road.

Sunday’s race is the eighth of 36 Sprint Cup Series events scheduled for the 2015 season.

MORE:

READ: Latest
 NASCAR news

PLAY: Sign up
 for Fantasy Live

WATCH: Latest
 NASCAR video

FOLLOW LIVE: Get
 RaceView today