NASCAR Cup Series: 2018 Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte qualifying results
By Asher Fair
Roush Fenway Racing’s Matt Kenseth took the pole position for the 2018 Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The 17 drivers who are already eligible to compete in the 2018 Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway battled for the pole position on Friday. They did so by running three laps and one pit stop with no speed limit on pit road, and their times set the starting lineup for the race.
Matt Kenseth, who has driven in just one race so far in the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season since replacing Trevor Bayne as the driver of the #6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, took the pole position for the event at the four-turn, 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway quad oval in Concord, North Carolina.
Kenseth is set to start alongside his teammate and driver of the #17 Ford, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, in second place. Ford drivers locked out the first two rows, with Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick qualifying in third and fourth in their #14 Ford and #4 Ford, respectively.
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The highest qualifying Toyota driver was defending Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., who qualified in fifth place in his #78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. The highest qualifying Chevrolet driver was Austin Dillon, who qualified in ninth in his #3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
Of the 17 drivers who have already qualified for the race, eight drive Ford cars, six drive Chevrolet cars and three drive Toyota cars.
An additional four drivers will be added to the field after the Monster Energy Open, which is set to take place right before the Monster Energy All-Star Race. The winners of the three stages of the Monster Energy Open will qualify for the All-Star Race, as will the winner of a fan vote.
The All-Star Race consists of four stages. The first stage is set for 30 laps, the second and third stages are set for 20 laps each, and the fourth and final stage is set to be a 10-lap shootout.
Here are the full qualifying results for the 2018 Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
| Rank | Driver | Car, Team, Manufacturer |
| 1 | Matt Kenseth | #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford |
| 2 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford |
| 3 | Clint Bowyer | #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford |
| 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | #78, Furniture Row Racing, Toyota |
| 6 | Ryan Blaney | #12, Team Penske, Ford |
| 7 | Kyle Busch | #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota |
| 8 | Brad Keselowski | #2, Team Penske, Ford |
| 9 | Austin Dillon | #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet |
| 10 | Joey Logano | #22, Team Penske, Ford |
| 11 | Jimmie Johnson | #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 12 | Jamie McMurray | #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet |
| 13 | Ryan Newman | #31, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet |
| 14 | Denny Hamlin | #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota |
| 15 | Kurt Busch | #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford |
| 16 | Kasey Kahne | #95, Leavine Family Racing, Chevrolet |
| 17 | Kyle Larson | #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet |
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Tune in to the 2018 Monster Energy All-Star Race tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1, as that is when the live broadcast of the race is set to begin from Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race is set to begin after the conclusion of the Monster Energy Open, which is also set to be broadcast live from Charlotte Motor Speedway on Fox Sports 1 at 6:00 p.m. ET.