Qualifying for the FireKeepers Casino 400
Date: June 10, 2016
Event: Qualifying for the FireKeepers Casino 400 (Round 15 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (2-mile oval)
Pole Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (36.080 seconds at 199.557 mph)
SHR Lineup:
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, led the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent Friday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn by setting the third-fastest lap in qualifying for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Stewart turned a lap of 36.190 seconds at 198.950 mph on the 2-mile oval in the final qualifying round.
Qualifying consisted of three rounds. The first was 20 minutes, with every driver on the track vying to set the fastest lap. The 24 fastest drivers from the first round advanced to the second, 10-minute round and the fastest 12 drivers from that session advanced to the final, five-minute round where they battled for the pole. Positions 1-12 were set by speeds in the final round. Positions 13-24 were set by speeds in the second round. The remaining 40-car field was set by speeds posted by those who did not advance past the first round.
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Chevrolet SS for SHR, qualified 17th with a time of 36.515 seconds at 197.179 mph.
Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS for SHR, qualified 25th with a time of 36.700 seconds at 196.185 mph.
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Outback Steakhouse Chevrolet SS, qualified 29th with a time of 36.747 seconds at 195.934 seconds after his first two attempts to qualify were disallowed by caution.
Joey Logano led the final round of knockout qualifying by taking the pole with a lap of 36.080 seconds at 199.557 mph. It was his 16th career Sprint Cup pole, his second at Michigan and his second of the season.
Martin Truex Jr. will start on the outside of row one after clocking in at 36.178 seconds at 199.016 mph.
The 10 other drivers who made it to the final round of qualifying were Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Ryan Newman, Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Carl Edwards and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. All are listed in the order they’ll start the race.
The FireKeepers Casino 400 gets underway at 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday with live coverage provided by FOX Sports 1.
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