Michigan native Brad Keselowski will lead the field to the green flag for the Pure Michigan 400 on August 13 after winning the pole with a speed of 203.097 mph. It marked his first pole in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at his hometown tack.
Keselowski will be joined on the front row by Joey Logano, his teammate at Team Penske. Logano earned the second starting spot with speed of 203.063 mph, just six thousandths of a second behind Keselowski.
Keselowski was happy with is qualifying efforts, especially since it is his hometown track.
“It feels pretty good,” Keselowski said. “I’m not really known as a great qualifier, so maybe over time I’ve probably put a little less stock in qualifying, but I can tell you that when I saw that we were gonna win the pole those last few seconds of qualifying it put chills down my body. It’s a great feeling. It’s a special track for me to have any kind of success at. Those that have been in the media center long enough have probably heard me say this and I’ll say it again for those that haven’t, but any success you have at your home track is right there with having success in the biggest races of the year like Daytona for the 500 and the championship. It’s a big deal for any driver, not just myself. Of course, this is my home track and to be able to have any kind of success here just really feels so darn good and I just hope we can keep it up this weekend.”
All 12 drivers in the final found posted a qualifying speed over 200.000 mph. Kevin Harvick will start third, Matt Kenseth rolls off fourth and Chase Elliott will start fifth. Elliott has finished second in each of the three Monster Energy Series starts at MIS.
Fellow Michigan native Erik Jones will roll off eighth on Sunday. He was the top qualifying rookie.
“It was a good effort for the 5-hour ENERGY Toyota, starting eighth on the outside so that hopefully bodes well for a strong day for us Sunday,” said Jones. “We’re going out there for a win so everything we do, all the calls we make, are going to be more aggressive. We have to take risks on the strategy side, I have to take risks on the race track just to put ourselves in position for a win. Obviously, track position is king here at Michigan so I’m just going to try to get out front and, hopefully, a great car and great strategy will get us that win.”
In the first round of qualifying, Ryan Blaney posted the top speed of 201.686 mph. Speeds were fast as seven drivers topped 200.000 mph.
The speeds only got faster in the second round, but once again it was Blaney leading the way. This time he had a speed of 203.120 mph. The top 19 finishers in round two all finished the round with a qualifying speed over 200.000 mph.
The Pure Michigan 400 is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. on NBC Sports. Fans can get tickets at www.mispeedway.com or by phone at 800-354-1010.
Retired University of Michigan head hockey coach Red Berenson will serve as the grand marshal for the Pure Michigan 400 on Sunday and give the command of “Start your engines!” Matthew Kiser, the Michigan State Police Trooper of the Year will serve as the honorary starter to wave the green flag.
On Sunday, all the infield guests can stand on the backstretch to cheer on their favorite driver as they drive by just before the Pure Michigan 400. Fans are invited to exit the infield onto the backstretch at the M-50 and US-12 crossovers at 12:30 p.m. to find the perfect spot. The speedway staff will mark areas on the backstretch where the fans can stand to watch the parade lap. Please note fans cannot bring drinks or food onto the track.
The parade lap will begin at the pre-race stage at the start/finish line on the frontstretch. The trucks will continue around the track and will get close to the fans on the backstretch. The parade lap will continue around turns three and four finishing back at the start/finish line.
Fans can attend the Saturday concert in Turn 3 FREE with a Sunday admission ticket, MISCAMPING.com Infield or MISCAMPING.com APEX wristband. ACM-nominated LOCASH and International Country Stars Thompson Square will perform on August 12. NASCAR’s favorite Tim Dugger will lead off the entertainment.
Tickets for a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race start at $35. Race fans who purchase early will have the best prices and the best seats.
Children 12 and under are free on Saturday. On Sunday, children 12 and under tickets start at $20. Children 12 and under can attend three days of NASCAR action for just $20, ensuring families a weekend of fun at affordable prices.
Fans can also take advantage of any of our special offers. You can get a free round of golf from Treetops, free food or have a special meet and greet with either Brad Keselowski. Call 800-354-1010 or visit www.mispeedway.com to purchase today!
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