NASCAR: Darlington starting lineup – Brad Keselowski on pole
By Asher Fair
Brad Keselowski is set to start from the pole position in NASCAR’s first race back at Darlington Raceway following a random draw.
A random draw that saw the 40 drivers on the entry list for this Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway, the The Real Heroes 400, split into four groups resulted in Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski taking the pole position.
Keselowski was one of 12 drivers who had a chance to take the pole position for this 293-lap race around the four-turn, 1.366-mile (2.198-kilometer) oval in Darlington, South Carolina, as his #2 team sits in the top 12 in the owner standings following the first four races of the season.
The 36-year-old Rochester Hills, Michigan native sits in a ninth place tie in the championship standings with a top finish of fifth at Auto Club Speedway behind the wheel of the #2 Ford in early March.
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The other three races that have been contested so far this season took place at Daytona International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in February and Phoenix Raceway in March.
Set to start alongside Keselowski on the front row is Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman, the winner of that race at Auto Club Speedway. He is set to start in second place in his #88 Chevrolet.
Wood Brothers Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto is set to start in third place in his #21 Ford alongside the top Toyota starter, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch, in fourth in his #18 Toyota.
Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Aric Almirola and points leader Kevin Harvick are set to share the third row in fifth and sixth place in their #10 Ford and #4 Ford, respectively, ahead of Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney in seventh in his #12 Ford and Hendrick Motorsports’ Jimmie Johnson in eighth in his #48 Chevrolet.
Team Penske’s Joey Logano, winner of two of the last three races, is set to start in ninth place in his #22 Ford ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who won the season-opening Daytona 500, in 10th in his #11 Toyota.
Here is the full starting lineup for the 2020 The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway.
Rank – Driver – Car, Team, Manufacturer
1st – Brad Keselowski – #2, Team Penske, Ford
2nd – Alex Bowman – #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
3rd – Matt DiBenedetto – #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford
4th – Kyle Busch – #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
5th – Aric Almirola – #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
6th – Kevin Harvick – #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
7th – Ryan Blaney – #12, Team Penske, Ford
8th – Jimmie Johnson – #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
9th – Joey Logano – #22, Team Penske, Ford
10th – Denny Hamlin – #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
11th – Chase Elliott – #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
12th – Matt Kenseth – #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet
13th – Clint Bowyer – #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
14th – Cole Custer – #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
15th – Martin Truex Jr. – #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
16th – Austin Dillon – #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
17th – Bubba Wallace – #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Chevrolet
18th – William Byron – #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
19th – Corey LaJoie – #32, Go Fas Racing, Ford
20th – Erik Jones – #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
21st – Ryan Newman – #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
22nd – Kurt Busch – #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet
23rd – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – #47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet
24th – Chris Buescher – #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
25th – Ryan Preece – #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet
26th – Garrett Smithley – #53, Rick Ware Racing, Ford
27th – Quin Houff – #00, StarCom Racing, Chevrolet
28th – Christopher Bell – #95, Leavine Family Racing, Toyota
29th – Tyler Reddick – #8, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
30th – J.J. Yeley – #27, Rick Ware Racing, Chevrolet
31st – Michael McDowell – #34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
32nd – Joey Gase – #51, Petty Ware Racing, Ford
33rd – Ty Dillon – #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet
34th – John Hunter Nemechek – #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
35th – Brennan Poole – #15, Premium Motorsports, Chevrolet
36th – Reed Sorenson – #77, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet
37th – Daniel Suarez – #96, Gaunt Brothers Racing, Toyota
38th – Timmy Hill – #66, MBM Motorsports, Ford
39th – Josh Bilicki – #7, Tommy Baldwin Racing, Chevrolet
40th – B.J. McLeod – #78, B.J. McLeod Motorsports, Chevrolet
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Tune in to Fox at 3:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, May 17 for the live broadcast of the The Heroes 400 from Darlington Raceway.