NASCAR: 2018 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta qualifying results
By Asher Fair
Qualifying for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta is in the books. Which drivers will start where in the second race of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season?
The NASCAR Cup Series is in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend for this Sunday’s running of the annual Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at the four-turn, 1.54-mile D-shaped oval track. The race is scheduled for 325 laps around the track.
Qualifying for the race took place on Friday evening. As a result, Kyle Busch, the driver of the #18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, is set to start the race from the pole position alongside Richard Childress Racing’s Ryan Newman in his #31 Chevrolet.
All four of Joe Gibbs Racing’s drivers, who make up four-fifths of the Toyota-powered entries in this weekend’s 36-car field, qualified in the top 12. The lone non-Joe Gibbs Racing driver of a Toyota who qualified is Gray Gaulding, who qualified in 31st place in his #23 Toyota for the underfunded BK Racing team. The field’s other Toyota driver, Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr., did not qualify and is set to start 35th.
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As far as Joe Gibbs Racing’s other drivers go, Daniel Suarez is set to start in 4th place in the #19 Toyota, while Erik Jones is set to start in 10th in the #20 Toyota and Denny Hamlin is set to start in 12th in the #11 Toyota despite the fact that he almost missed out on advancing to the second round of qualifying.
The highest qualifying Ford driver for the race was Kevin Harvick, who drives the #4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing. He qualifying in 3rd place alongside Suarez. Hendrick Motorsports’ struggles continued, as none of their four drivers are set to start the race in the top 17. Alex Bowman qualified in 18th in his #88 Chevrolet for the team, with the team’s other three drivers qualifying between 22nd and 27th.
Here are the full qualifying results for the Fold of Honor QuikTrip 500.
| Rank | Driver | Car, Team, Engine |
| 1 | Kyle Busch | #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota |
| 2 | Ryan Newman | #31, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet |
| 3 | Kevin Harvick | #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford |
| 4 | Daniel Suarez | #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | #2, Team Penske, Ford |
| 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford |
| 7 | Kurt Busch | #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford |
| 8 | Kyle Larson | #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet |
| 9 | Clint Bowyer | #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford |
| 10 | Erik Jones | #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota |
| 11 | Aric Almirola | #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford |
| 12 | Denny Hamlin | #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota |
| 13 | Jamie McMurray | #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet |
| 14 | Kasey Kahne | #95, Leavine Family Racing, Chevrolet |
| 15 | Paul Menard | #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford |
| 16 | Joey Logano | #22, Team Penske, Ford |
| 17 | Michael McDowell | #34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford |
| 18 | Alex Bowman | #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 19 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 20 | Trevor Bayne | #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford |
| 21 | AJ Allmendinger | #47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet |
| 22 | Jimmie Johnson | #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 23 | William Byron | #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 24 | Chris Buescher | #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet |
| 25 | Austin Dillon | #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet |
| 26 | Ryan Blaney | #12, Team Penske, Ford |
| 27 | Chase Elliott | #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 28 | Ty Dillon | #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet |
| 29 | David Ragan | #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford |
| 30 | Matt DiBenedetto | #32, Go Fas Racing, Ford |
| 31 | Gray Gaulding | #23, BK Racing, Toyota |
| 32 | Cole Whitt | #72, TriStar Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 33 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | #00, StarCom Racing, Chevrolet |
| 34 | Ross Chastain | #15, Premium Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 35 | Martin Truex Jr. | #78, Furniture Row Racing, Toyota |
| 36 | Harrison Rhodes | #51, Rick Ware Racing, Chevrolet |
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The Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 is set to be broadcast live on FOX on Sunday, February 25th starting at 2:00 pm ET. Be sure not to miss the second of 36 races in the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season.