By Summer Bedgood, Managing Editor
If there was any doubt heading into the Kansas Speedway weekend that Kevin Harvick was the favorite, he has left no doubt now.
After leading the one and only practice session earlier in the day, Harvick again was the fastest in qualifying, earning the pole for Saturday night’s KC Masterpiece 400. His lap of 28.600 seconds at 188.811 mph was good enough for the front row starting spot. He will start alongside Ryan Blaney.
“This has been a really good race track for us through the years and I think obviously when you look at qualifying day it’s also been just one of those places that kind of fits what we do,” said Harvick. “So it’s been an entertaining day. We’ve had a lot of things of things to work through today, but I think today is one of those days when you look at the team and you’re like, ‘Man, those guys are really good at what they do.’ Nobody panics and really shows the experience and just patience that all those guys have that they’ve gained and learned and I think you look at the experience of the team and it seems to keep getting better, so that’s fun to be a part of.”
Retweet to congratulate Kevin Harvick and the No. 4 team on their POLE in Kansas.
Full starting lineup: https://t.co/6LWByjiE2G pic.twitter.com/JyYcPxXl7t
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 11, 2018
Kyle Busch, who has arguably been Harvick’s most arduous competitor this season, starts third alongside Aric Almirola.
Brad Keselowski rounds out the top five.
Inspection issues continued this week and Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth (returning the MENCS competition this weekend), Michael McDowell, Matt DiBendetto, and Timmy Hill all failed to make a lap in qualifying as a result.
Jimmie Johnson, Daniel Suarez and Jamie McMurray struggled to pass technical inspection as well, but were able to make it out onto the track to make a lap with just moments remaining in the first round. Johnson and the No. 48 team decided to sit out Round 2 and will start Saturday night’s race from the 23rd position. McMurray attempted to make a run in Round 2 but his No. 1 car would not fire. Suarez will start 14th.
Meanwhile, Kyle Larson spun while making his qualifying run. Though there wasn’t any significant damage to the body of his racecar, he flat-spotted his tires and decided to sit the rest of the session out. While he is credited with a 22nd-place starting spot, he will have to start at the rear of the field for putting new tires on the car after qualifying.
The race begins Saturday, May 12th at 8:00PM ET and will be broadcast on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.