Truex Takes The Pole At Kansas

The field for the Go Bowling 400 has now been set. After 40 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers took to the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway to set the grid, it was Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Toyota from Furniture Row Racing that will be leading the pack to green for the 267-lap race. 
 
Truex Jr. nailed down a lap of 28.284 seconds, which added up to 190.921 MPH, to grab the pole position. In round one of the qualifying session, he finished second with a time of 28.451 seconds and 189.900 MPH. Round two found him in the fourth-place slot with a 28.433-second and 189.920-MPH run. 
 
Today’s top-starting position marks the eighth one in 380 starts in the Sprint Cup Series for the Mayetta, NJ native. This is Truex Jr.’s first Kansas pole in 16 races in the Land of Oz so it has been a long time since he earned a front-row start. “We’ve been really close,” Truex Jr. said during a post-qualifying press conference. ” We’ve led the first round, led the second round but just haven’t figured out how to lead that third round. I just can’t say enough about our team and what we have going on right now.” 
 
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Matt Kenseth posted his eighth top-10 start so far in the 2016 season. The driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota posted a qualifying lap of 28.337 seconds, 190.564 MPH to earn the second front-row starting position. His teammate Denny Hamlin will start behind in third. Piloting the No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota, Hamlin posted a 28.361 seconds with speed of 190.902 MPH.
 

Coverage begins tomorrow night at 6:30 PM CT on FS1, MRN and Sirius XM Channel 90.

Qualifying Results

Round 1

1. Matt Kenseth
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Kurt Busch

Round 2

1. Matt Kenseth
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Kurt Busch

Round 3 and Top 10 Starters


1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Kurt Busch
5. Brad Keselowski
6. Kyle Busch
7. Ryan Blaney
8. Ryan Newman
9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
10. Trevor Bayne

Katie Williams
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