NASCAR: 2017 Federated Auto Parts 400 qualifying results – Matt Kenseth on pole
By Asher Fair
In his last chance to get a win in the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Matt Kenseth will start from the pole position at Richmond.
For just the second time in the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season, Matt Kenseth will start a race from the pole position. He will do so for the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night, the final race of the regular season.
Kenseth’s other pole this season came at the first race at Richmond, a race he led 164 of 400 laps of but ultimately ended up finishing way back in 23rd place. Will he be able to better that result this time around?
Kenseth is currently in the 15th spot as far as the playoff picture goes right now, and he is just one point ahead of the 16th spot. While he is 8th in the championship standings, he hasn’t won a race yet this season, so he is right on the playoff bubble.
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A win by Kenseth or anyone else currently in the top 16 spots locks him into the playoffs, as no driver currently lower than the 16th spot can get enough to points at Richmond to get into the playoffs without winning.
However, a win by anyone currently below the 16th spot will mean Kenseth is at risk of missing the playoffs. In that case, he needs to stay among the top 2 among drivers without wins this season. As referenced above, he is currently in the top 2 just one point, so it will be extremely close, which further shows how important getting this pole was for him.
Here are the full qualifying results for Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
- Matt Kenseth, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Kurt Busch, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
- Kevin Harvick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Kyle Busch, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Erik Jones, Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
- Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Joey Logano, Ford, Team Penske
- Clint Bowyer, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Ryan Blaney, Ford, Wood Brothers Racing
- Brad Keselowski, Ford, Team Penske
- Daniel Suarez, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Trevor Bayne, Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- Danica Patrick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- A.J. Allmendinger, Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing
- Aric Almirola, Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports
- Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing
- Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, Go Fas Racing
- Paul Menard, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, Leavine Family Racing
- David Ragan, Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Landon Cassill, Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Germain Racing
- Corey LaJoie, Toyota, BK Racing
- Gray Gaulding, Toyota, BK Racing
- Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, TriStar Motorsports
- Reed Sorenson, Toyota, Premium Motorsports
- Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, TMG-Circle Sport Racing
- Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports
- BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing
Which driver do you think will win at Richmond? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it. Also be sure to follow Beyond the Flag on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.