Matt Kenseth put down a scorcher of a lap on Friday afternoon, earning the pole for Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond.
Joe Gibbs Racing appears to have been in a funk to start the 2017 season. The performance by the team as a whole has not been there, accruing zero wins so far in the young Cup Series campaign. However, the team took a step forward on Friday afternoon at Richmond, as Matt Kenseth secured his first pole position of the season.
Kenseth, who finished fourth in the last race out at Bristol, will start alongside Ryan Blaney on Sunday afternoon at the action track. He edged out the young gun by just 0.041 seconds to earn the top spot. Martin Truex Jr., Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Joey Logano rounded out the top five.
Perhaps the most interesting qualifying lap was turned in by Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon, who merely coasted around the track for one lap in the opening round. He understandably did not advance out of that round, choosing to save his tires for the start of Sunday’s race rather than fight for a top qualifying position.
Here are the full results of qualifying for the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond:
- Matt Kenseth, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Ryan Blaney, Ford, Wood Brothers Racing
- Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- Joey Logano, Ford, Team Penske
- Kevin Harvick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Kyle Busch, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Clint Bowyer, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Kurt Busch, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Daniel Suarez, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Brad Keselowski, Ford, Team Penske
- Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Erik Jones, Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
- Danica Patrick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- A.J. Allmendinger, Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing
- Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing
- Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Germain Racing
- Aric Almirola, Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports
- Paul Menard, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, Leavine Family Racing
- Landon Cassill, Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Trevor Bayne, Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- David Ragan, Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Gray Gaulding, Toyota, BK Racing
- Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, Go Fas Racing
- Reed Sorenson, Toyota, Premium Motorsports
- Corey LaJoie, Toyota, BK Racing
- Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, TMG-Circle Sport Racing
- Cole Whitt, Ford, Tri-Star Motorsports
- Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing
- Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
Related Story: Bettor's Guide for the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond
Be sure to tune in and catch the Toyota Owners 400 live from the Richmond International Raceway on Sunday, April 30 at 2:00 pm eastern. You can see the race live on your local FOX station, or on the go with the Fox Sports Go app.