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Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch finish first two rows

Related: Full qualifying results | Latest Kentucky news

SPARTA, Ky. — Don’t tell Dale Earnhardt Jr. you can’t catch a cloud.
 
With a fast car and a fortuitous mass of cumulus to help cool Kentucky Speedway during Friday’s time trials, Earnhardt put together a track-record, pole-winning run for Saturday night’s Quaker State 400, the 17th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event of the season. It was the eighth track qualifying record set this year.
 
Earnhardt sped around the 1.5-mile track at 183.636 mph to edge Carl Edwards (183.306 mph), who was one slight twitch off Turn 2 away from challenging for the top starting spot. Jimmie Johnson (183.144 mph) qualified third, followed by 2011 Kentucky winner Kyle Busch (182.593 mph) and Marcos Ambrose (182.587 mph).
 
The Coors Light Pole award was the 12th of Earnhardt’s career, his first at Kentucky and his first since September 2012 at Richmond.
 
"We thought we had a top-five car in practice, and we got some good cloud cover about six or seven cars in front of us before we went to qualify, and that brought the track temp down to give us a good advantage," Earnhardt said. "It gave us a good opportunity to run a bit quicker lap than maybe what the car had in it."

"…Of course, cooler track temp gives a car more grip, and I would admit that I think we definitely had the better situation. … And I did think the lap was really good. I got into Turn 1 a little bit over-zealous, but the car actually was working a little better as far as turning through the middle than it was in practice. (Turns) 3 and 4 was just a really good corner."
 
Early in the session, Johnson shot to the top of the board with a lap at 183.144 mph, breaking the record 181.818 mph he set during time trials last year. But the five-time champion’s tenure at the top of the mountain was short.
 
With a helpful cloud covering a track that already was cooling as the ambient temperature declined, Earnhardt covered the 1.5-mile distance in 29.406 seconds and knocked his Hendrick Motorsports teammate off the provisional pole.
 
Edwards, the 34th driver to make a qualifying attempt, ran .006 seconds faster than Johnson to break up the Hendrick front row.
 
Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, 2012 race winner Brad Keselowski, Brian Vickers and Juan Pablo Montoya will start from positions six through 10, respectively.

The Quaker State 400 will air on TNT Saturday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET. See the record-breaking lap below:

 

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See where your favorite driver will pit and watch Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on TNT

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See where your favorite driver will pit, watch the race at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

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Click here to watch live, in-car cameras

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Austin Dillon earns fifth pole in six weeks | Qualifying results

Defending race-winner Austin Dillon took his qualifying laps with several drivers yet to hit the track, but with a speed of 175.758 mph, he held onto the Coors Light Pole for Friday night’s Feed the Children 300 at Kentucky Speedway.

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Dillon, who has yet to win this season but won four consecutive poles before having his streak snapped last week at Road America, ran the loop in 30.724 seconds. It was his eighth career pole.

Travis Pastrana was next fastest at 173.673, followed by Sam Hornish Jr. (173.466), Trevor Bayne (173.388), and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular Kyle Busch (173.383).

Points leader Regan Smith was 14th (171.876), while reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski qualified at a disappointing 19th. Keselowski was nearly a full second off Dillon’s pace at 31.702 seconds (170.336 mph).

Smith has a 28-point lead over Justin Allgaier, who is seventh on the grid.

Also in the top 10 are Elliott Sadler (sixth), Matt Crafton (eighth), Cole Whitt (ninth) and Alex Bowman (10th).

Crafton, the points leader in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, is make the first Nationwide Series start of his career.

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Mears among last to roll off in Coors Light Pole Qualifying, 5:10 p.m. ET, SPEED

Track Qualifying Record: Jimmie Johnson 06/30/12 29.7 seconds / 181.818 mph
# Car Driver Team
1 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota
2 51 Austin Dillon(i) Alsco Chevrolet
3 5 Kasey Kahne Quaker State Chevrolet
4 35 Josh Wise(i) MDS Transport Ford
5 16 Greg Biffle 3M National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Ford
6 30 David Stremme Lean 1 Toyota
7 83 David Reutimann Burger King/Dr.Pepper Toyota
8 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
9 10 Danica Patrick # GoDaddy Chevrolet
10 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Dover White Chevrolet
11 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
12 43 Aric Almirola Eckrich Ford
13 39 Ryan Newman Quicken Loans Chevrolet
14 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # Fifth Third Ford
15 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard Youth Foundation Chevrolet
16 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
17 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
18 78 Kurt Busch Furniture Row/Sealy Chevrolet
19 27 Paul Menard Menards/Sylvania Chevrolet
20 19 Mike Bliss(i) Plinker Tactical Toyota
21 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
22 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford
23 1 Jamie McMurray Hellmann’s Chevrolet
24 98 Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford
25 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota
26 18 Kyle Busch Doublemint Toyota
27 38 David Gilliland Long John Silver’s Ford
28 93 Travis Kvapil Burger King/Dr.Pepper Toyota
29 32 Ken Schrader Federated Auto Parts Ford
30 34 David Ragan Taco Bell Ford
31 33 Landon Cassill(i) Little Joe’s Autos Chevrolet
32 15 Clint Bowyer Camry 30th Anniversary Toyota
33 47 AJ Allmendinger Scott Products Toyota
34 99 Carl Edwards UPS Ford
35 9 Marcos Ambrose Mac Tools Ford
36 7 Dave Blaney SANY Chevrolet
37 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford
38 55 Brian Vickers(i) Aaron’s/University of Louisville National Championship Toyota
39 13 Casey Mears Valvoline NextGen Ford
40 44 Scott Riggs No Label Ford
41 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
42 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota
43 36 JJ Yeley United Mining Equipment Chevrolet

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Johnson consistently fast before the Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts

First practice results | Follow qualifying

Jimmie Johnson was the only driver to break 181 mph at Kentucky Speedway in the final practice for the Quaker State 400. His lap of 181.093 mph in 29.819 seconds in his No. 48 Chevrolet earned him the top spot on the leaderboard after running second in the earlier session.

Carl Edwards, the lone Ford in the top five, took second with a 29.936-second lap at 180.385 mph. Kyle Busch took the third spot at 180.379 mph, with Jeff Gordon clocking the final speed in the 180s, running 180.21 mph, for fourth.

Jeff Burton took the last spot in the top five with a lap of 30.008 seconds, barely edging out Dale Earnhardt Jr. at 30.009 seconds.

Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon, Marcos Ambrose and Kurt Busch completed the top 10.

Defending race winner Brad Keselowski, who came in second in last night’s Truck Series race, finished 17th. Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Danica Patrick finished 15th and 27th, respectively.

Martin Truex Jr., who took the checkered flag last weekend at Sonoma, ended practice in 24th. Despite running the most laps with 45, Kevin Harvick came in 23rd on the leaderboard. Harvick was fastest in the earlier practice.

Coors Light Pole qualifying will begin at 5:10 p.m. ET on SPEED. The Quaker State 400 will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

Early practice results:

SPARTA, Ky. — Richard Childress Racing driver Kevin Harvick led Friday’s opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, topping the chart with a lap of 178.784 mph at the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway.

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The Quaker State 400, stop No. 17 for the series, is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

Jimmie Johnson, last season’s pole winner at Kentucky and the Cup series points leader, was second on the speed chart at 177.690 mph.

Defending series champion and Kentucky race winner Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top five.

Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers, Juan Pablo Montoya, Paul Menard and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were sixth through 10th, respectively.

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Pastrana rolls off first in Coors Light Pole Qualifying at 3:35 p.m. ET on SPEED

Track Qualifying Record: Carl Edwards 06/18/05 29.787 seconds / 181.287 mph
# Car Driver Team
1 89 * Morgan Shepherd Victory In Jesus Chevrolet
2 73 * Derrike Cope Maxelence Chevrolet
3 23 Harrison Rhodes Rick Ware Racing Ford
4 79 Bryan Silas(i) Bell Trucks America, Inc./Koma Unwind Ford
5 52 * Joey Gase Donate Life Chevrolet
6 74 * Carl Long Chevrolet
7 01 Mike Wallace Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over Chevrolet
8 24 Ken Butler III 5 Star Toyota
9 92 * Dexter Stacey # Maddie’s Place Ford
10 46 * JJ Yeley(i) Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
11 42 * Josh Wise Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
12 00 * Blake Koch DriveMW.com Toyota
13 40 Reed Sorenson E-Swisher.com Chevrolet
14 4 Landon Cassill Chevrolet
15 10 * Jeff Green TriStar Motorsports Toyota
16 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota
17 14 Eric McClure Hefty/Reynolds Toyota
18 19 Mike Bliss TriStar Motorsports Toyota
19 55 * Jamie Dick Viva Auto Group Chevrolet
20 11 Elliott Sadler OneMain Financial Toyota
21 51 Jeremy Clements U.S. Petroleum Consultants Chevrolet
22 44 Cole Whitt TriStar Motorsports Toyota
23 70 Johanna Long Foretravel/WishForOurHeroes.org Chevrolet
24 20 Brian Vickers Dollar General Toyota
25 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. # Worx Chevrolet
26 54 Kyle Busch(i) Monster Energy Toyota
27 43 Michael Annett Pilot Travel Centers Ford
28 5 Brad Sweet Great Clips Chevrolet
29 2 Brian Scott Shore Lodge Chevrolet
30 98 * Kevin Swindell # Carroll Shelby Motors Ford
31 32 Kyle Larson # Clear Men Chevrolet
32 7 Regan Smith Hellmann’s Centennial Chevrolet
33 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Truck Rental Ford
34 31 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet
35 6 Trevor Bayne Cargill/HelpaHero.com Ford
36 77 Parker Kligerman Camp Horsin Around Toyota
37 22 Brad Keselowski(i) Discount Tire Ford
38 3 Austin Dillon AdvoCare Chevrolet
39 99 Alex Bowman # St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Toyota
40 33 Matt Crafton(i) Menards/Rheem Chevrolet
41 60 Travis Pastrana Roush Fenway Racing Ford

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Will roll off last in Coors Light Pole Qualifying at 3:35 p.m. ET on SPEED

RELATED: Kentucky practice results

Travis Pastrana turned the fastest lap in final practice for tonight’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Feed The Children 300 at Kentucky Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN).

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Pastrana’s 175.970 mph and 30.687-second lap was .018 seconds faster than Matt Crafton, who was fastest in Thursday’s opening practice. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Crafton finished 10th in Thursday’s UNOH 225 Truck race and will make his first start in the Nationwide Series this evening.

Series regulars Alex Bowman and Austin Dillon had the third and fourth fastest laps respectively with former Nationwide champion and reigning Sprint Cup champ Brad Keselowski fifth. Keselowski will run all three national series races this weekend, finishing second in the weekend-opening Truck race.

Like Keselowski, Kyle Busch is scheduled to run all three races at Kentucky. After finishing third last night in his Kyle Busch Motorsports truck, he was 16th fastest in final Nationwide practice for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Nationwide Series points leader Regan Smith was 10th in practice with a 173.299 mph lap. Justin Allgaier, who trails Smith by 31 points for second in the season standings, was eighth fastest at 173.891 mph. Sam Hornish Jr., who fell to third in the standings last week at Road America, was ninth quickest at 173.773 mph.

Two drivers made 10 consecutive laps with Bowman’s average speed of 170.605 mph bettering Landon Cassill’s 166.438 mph average.

Pastrana will roll off last in Coors Light Pole Qualifying at 3:35 p.m. ET on SPEED as he attempts to win his second pole of the season. He started on the point at Talladega last month.

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Vickers, Dillon, Sadler, Larson eligible next week after Kentucky showings

Related: Dash 4 Cash page

SPARTA, Ky. — Elliott Sadler, Brian Vickers, Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson will be racing for a $100,000 bonus when the NASCAR Nationwide Series returns to Daytona International Speedway next weekend.

The four drivers were the highest finishing eligible competitors Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway in the Feed the Children 300, the qualifying event for this year’s Nationwide Series Dash 4 Cash program.

As a result, the driver that finishes highest in the July 5 Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona will earn the six-figure bonus and be automatically qualified for the second week of the four-week program.

"Nationwide really hit a home run, in my opinion, with this Dash 4 Cash (program)."

— Elliott Sadler

“It is great for our sport, it is great or our team, it puts a lot of focus on our sponsors and on … the drivers,” said Sadler, who finished second to race winner Brad Keselowski in the rain-shortened Kentucky race. “Nationwide really hit a home run, in my opinion, with this Dash 4 Cash (program).”

In addition to the Daytona bonus winner, the three highest finishing eligible drivers in that event will qualify for the program’s next stop, at New Hampshire on July 13. The format will remain the same for subsequent stops at Chicago (July 21) and Indianapolis (July 27).

If the same driver earns the bonus in the first three events and wins the Indy race outright, he will earn an additional $600,000, bringing his total winnings to $1 million.

Four races, four very different venues.

“Four straight weeks, which is very stressful,” Sadler said. “But if you can keep your momentum going … it’s a lot of fun to be a part of.”

Vickers, fourth at Kentucky, said kicking the program off at the 2.5-mile Daytona track was a mixed blessing.

“Of all places that I’d want to go into the Dash 4 Cash, I think (Daytona) is the best and the worst,” he said. “There’s a chance we could finish … 30th and win this thing. But hopefully we win the race and win (the bonus). That’s the goal.”

Dillon finished sixth at Kentucky while Larson was seventh.

“It’s awesome,” Dillon said of the program. “We had a heck of a battle last year with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at New Hampshire to win the first (bonus). Really looking forward to it.”

 

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