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Harvick to Start Sixth at Vegas

Pre-Race Reports | NASCAR Cup Series | 03/04/16

Kobalt 400 Qualifying

Date: March 4, 2016

Event: Kobalt 400 Qualifying (Round 3 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)

Pole Winner: Kurt Busch of Stewart-Haas Racing (27.505 seconds at 196.328 mph)

SHR Lineup:

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet SS, led the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by winning the pole for Sunday’s Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. It was the 28th Sprint Cup pole for SHR since its inception in 2009 and the organization’s second of the season.

Qualifying consisted of three rounds. The first was 15 minutes, with every driver on the track vying to set the fastest lap. The 24 fastest drivers from the first round advanced to the second, 10-minute round and the fastest 12 drivers from that session advanced to the final, five-minute round where they battled for the pole. Positions 1-12 were set by speeds in the final round. Positions 13-24 were set by speeds in the second round. The remaining 39-car field was set by speeds posted by those who did not advance past the first round.

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS for SHR, qualified sixth with a time of 27.628 seconds at 195.454 mph.

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS for SHR, qualified 18th with a time of 27.889 seconds at 193.625 mph.

Brian Vickers, interim driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR as he subs for the injured Tony Stewart, qualified 19th with a time of 27.893 seconds at 193.597 mph.

Kurt Busch led the final round of knockout qualifying by taking the pole with a lap of 27.505 seconds at 196.328 mph. It was his 21st career Sprint Cup pole, his second of the season and his second at Las Vegas.

Busch also recorded the fastest lap of qualifying with a best lap of 27.498 seconds at 196.378 mph in the opening round, slightly better than his pole-winning lap. His opening round lap set a new track record, previously held by Jeff Gordon’s 194.678 mph set at the 1.5-mile oval in 2015.

Joey Logano will start on the outside of row one after clocking in at 27.572 seconds at 195.851 mph.

The 10 other drivers who made it to the final round of qualifying were Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Harvick, Aric Almirola, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Jimmie Johnson and AJ Allmendinger. All are listed in the order they’ll start Sunday’s race.

The Kobalt 400 gets underway at 3:30 p.m. EST Sunday with live coverage provided by FOX.

-SHR-


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