Dillon Captures Second Straight NNS Kentucky Speedway Pole Award

Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon became the second driver to earn back-to-back NASCAR Nationwide Series Kentucky Speedway pole awards this afternoon with a 177.264 mph (30.463 seconds) lap.

Dillon posted the third quickest Kentucky qualifying run in NNS track history and is the first in track history to earn back-to-back series pole awards in the same season. He will make his third consecutive and seventh front-row series start of the season at 4 p.m., in the Kentucky 300.

He reeled the June 29 Feed The Children 300 Kentucky pole with a 172.199 mph (31.359 seconds) lap and led a series track-record 192 of 200 laps while setting a new series track record for widest margin of victory at 9.828 seconds. 

“That was a heck of a lap. I was impressed with that. I bobbled a bit, so there might be some speed there we could have gotten back.

“I’m looking forward to today’s show. It’s going to be a fun one. We have had a hot rod. This car runs good here. I’ve figured something out with the line. I’m just very confident at this track,” Dillon said.

He will share this afternoon’s front row with NNS championship leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who will make his eighth front-row start of the campaign. He turned a 175.399 mph (30.787 seconds) lap. The Roush Fenway Racing driver earned his third career Kentucky Speedway NNS top-10 finish with a ninth-place Feed The Children 300 result earlier this season.

Second-place championship contender Elliott Sadler qualified eighth with a 173.611 mph (31.104 seconds) effort. He will make his third career NNS Kentucky start today. He placed ninth in this season’s Feed The Children 300 and fifth in his 2011 NNS track debut.

Tickets and infield Fan Zone passes for this afternoon’s race are available at the Kentucky Speedway gates.

KY Speedway PR