Keselowski nabs first pole as Chase begins in NH

Brad Keselowski

Brad Keselowski earned his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole turning a lap of 133.572 mph to grand the top spot for Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Keselowski was one of six non-Chase competitors to crack the top ten in Friday's session to set the field for Sunday’s championship season kick-off at the one-mile track.

Keselowski broke Juan Montoya's year-old qualifying record with a lap of 133.572 mph Friday to earn the top starting spot Sunday. The Penske Racing driver nudged championship contenders Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart, who qualified second and third for the first event in the 10-race Chase.

"It's been a tumultuous season to be sure but this is a great run and hopefully will set the tone for us the rest of this season on the Sprint Cup side," said Keselowski, who holds a commanding lead in the Nationwide Series but failed to make the Chase in his Sprint Cup Series effort.

"I would love to be the spoiler of the Chase," Keselowski said. "Our guys work so hard and I think we can really be a part of these last 10 races of the season."

Keselowski, mired in a rough first season at NASCAR's top level, is ranked 26th in the standings and not eligible to race for the title. Only the top 12 drivers race for the championship.

"I would love to be the spoiler of the Chase," Keselowski said. "I would live for that moment."

On Sunday, though, he'll have to do his best to not become part of the Chase storylines. A win would be fabulous for NASCAR's newest polarizing driver, but the aggressive driving he's become notorious for would best be held back when it comes to the championship contenders.

As is, the bulk of them will have a ton of work to do just trying to catch Keselowski.

Only four Chase drivers qualified inside the top 10. Bowyer and Stewart will line their Chevrolets up right around Keselowski's Dodge, while Kyle Busch will start ninth in a Toyota and Carl Edwards rolls out 10th in a Ford.

The rest are spread out across the field.

Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle grabbed the 12th through 14th positions, and Jeff Gordon qualified 17th. Denny Hamlin, the top seed in the Chase with a 60-point margin on half the field, qualified 22nd.

Four-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson qualified a career-worst 25th.

Johnson has never started lower than 23rd at New Hampshire, and Friday's effort matched his lowest starting position of the season.

Results

+ Set by Owner Points
* Denotes Rookie