Matt Kenseth led a three-car sweep of top positions for Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Kansas. It's step one of a possible Kenseth redemption.
Friday's qualifying put Kenseth in pole position, the first time this season he will enter as fastest starter. Beside him: Kyle Busch. Behind him: Carl Edwards, also of Joe Gibbs Racing.
Fourth? Another Toyota, driven by Gibbs ally Martin Truex Jr. Green flag: 2:31 p.m. ET.
MORE: Hendrick Motorsports resurgence | 10 drivers to watch
Kenseth finished 0.001 of a second faster than Busch. Look out, the Toyota bunch has speed for Sunday's race.
The evening included lengthening shadows on the track and a strong breeze. Both affected qualifying runs.
Sunday's race will be run in sunshine with a stronger breeze.
Congratulations, @mattkenseth! Your #HC400 pole winner at @kansasspeedway! #TheChase pic.twitter.com/S4W5zXIuN7
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 14, 2016
The Hollywood Casino 400 begins at 2:31 p.m. ET. It is the second race of the Round of 12 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, with the finale at unpredictable Talladega.
Jimmie Johnson won last week at Charlotte for a free pass to the Round of 8. He is among favorites this week.
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Five drivers had difficulty at Charlotte and are battling to get back into the eight transfer positions. Denny Hamlin, whose car blew an engine at Charlotte, is three points ahead of Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon. That is called being on the bubble … big time.
Behind them, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick will be pushing for victory and are more than capable of coming away with one.
MORE: Harvick clips wall, Kurt Busch wrecks car in Saturday practice
Here is Sunday's starting lineup. Chase drivers are listed in bold. NOTE: Kurt Busch will start from the rear of the field. He crashed his car in Saturday's second practice and had to switch to his backup car.| Pos. | No. | Driver | Brand | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Toyota | 192.089 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 192.082 |
| 3 | 19 | Carl Edwards | Toyota | 191.015 |
| 4 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | 190.786 |
| 5 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Chevy | 190.315 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | 190.221 |
| 7 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 190.188 |
| 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 190.087 |
| 9 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Chevy | 189.927 |
| 10 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger | Chevy | 189.84 |
| 11 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Chevy | 189.58 |
| 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevy | 189.567 |
| 13 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Chevy | 189.954 |
| 14 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Chevy | 189.94 |
| 15 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Chevy | 189.773 |
| 16 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevy | 189.76 |
| 17 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Ford | 189.54 |
| 18 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ford | 189.387 |
| 19 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Chevy | 189.241 |
| 20 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevy | 189.201 |
| 21 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevy | 188.976 |
| 22 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 188.93 |
| 23 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Ford | 188.094 |
| 24 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chevy | 186.034 |
| 25 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | 188.376 |
| 26 | 7 | Regan Smith | Chevy | 187.669 |
| 27 | 83 | Matt DiBenedetto | Toyota | 187.578 |
| 28 | 23 | David Ragan | Toyota | 187.513 |
| 29 | 13 | Casey Mears | Chevy | 187.441 |
| 30 | 34 | Chris Buescher | Ford | 187.331 |
| 31 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Chevy | 187.246 |
| 32 | 44 | Brian Scott | Ford | 186.819 |
| 33 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Chevy | 186.419 |
| 34 | 38 | Landon Cassill | Ford | 185.052 |
| 35 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 184.824 |
| 36 | 55 | Cole Whitt | Chevy | 183.163 |
| 37 | 46 | Michael Annett | Chevy | 181.898 |
| 38 | 32 | Joey Gase | Ford | 180.56 |
| 39 | 98 | Reed Sorenson | Chevy | 180.403 |
| 40 | 30 | Josh Wise | Chevy | 179.85 |