With a 118.794-second qualifying attempt Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Clint Bowyer and his #14 Stewart-Haas Racing team were fastest under a qualifying format in which drivers made a three-lap run that included a four-tire pit stop. As a result, Bowyer claimed the pole for Saturday night’s Monster Energy All-Star Race.
“It’s just so challenging,” Bowyer said. "You think about it, we live and die by pit road speeding penalties coming onto the pit road week in and week out. You’re getting the most out of that line, that yellow line. Do not cross that yellow line speeding. Now, tonight, you cross that yellow line going as fast as you possibly can, speeding as fast as you possibly can, so drastically different. You go up on top of that building and you watch your peers, you watch yourself, you make mistakes, you watch them make mistakes, you learn and put that in the bank and try to make the best of minimizing those mistakes. In a deal like that, it’s so easy to psych yourself out. I walked out there with Austin Dillon and he’s like, ‘Man, I hate this. This is all I’ve thought about all day long.’ I was like, ‘Dude, I’ve been there.’ The more you think about something like that, the more you psych yourself out. I mean, I went over to Bass Pro Shops in between and did some shopping. I got a new fishing rod and got caught up on my outdoor stuff. I’m going on vacation in a couple weeks, got some flip-flops and just kind of chilled out and drove back over here, rolled through Camping World and looked at some motorhomes and daydreamed over there a little bit and then, came back over and put your firesuit on and go out there and just kind of put a lap in."
Kyle Busch qualified second to join Bowyer on the front row of the All-Star starting grid, while Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon claimed second-row starting spots.
Busch was among the first of the 15 drivers already in the All-Star Race to make a qualifying attempt and claimed the provisional pole. Bowyer went out halfway through the session, knocking Busch from the provisional top spot and remaining there for the remainder of the qualifying session.
Brad Keselowski and his #2 Team Penske team were assessed the only penalty during qualifying — a five-second penalty for a loose lug nut. With the addition of the penalty, he wound up 14th of the 15 drivers making attempts in All-Star qualifying.
Keselowski’s teammate and reigning Cup Series champion Joey Logano fared only slightly better. After sliding through the pit box and having to back up for service, Logano wound up 10th on the grid.
Prior to All-Star qualifying, 24 drivers not alreay locked into the All-Star Race participated in a more traditional, single-car qualifying session, two laps in length to determine the starting grid for Saturday’s preliminary Monster Energy Open. Cup Series rookie Daniel Hemric claimed that pole with a 29.643-second/182.168 mph lap in the second round.
Hemric’s pole-winning lap was the only lap of that qualifying session to clock in over 182 mph. Hemric also was fastest in the opening round with a 29.693-second/181.861 mph lap.
“I feel good about it,” Hemric said. "Obviously, having speed with as short as the stages are, hopefully, we can lock this Bass Pro Shops Camaro with Caterpillar’s help, the ZL1, in as far as the All-Star goes, but we’ve got to have a solid first stage. I’m proud of these guys. I said on the radio this is the first box checked for the weekend. You’ve got to bring the fastest race car you can, and we’ve done that. Hopefully, we can do our jobs tomorrow and do what we need to do to get in the All-Star Race and really have some fun.”
Michael McDowell qualified second for the Open.
MONSTER ENERGY ALL-STAR RACE AND MONSTER ENERGY OPEN STARTING LINEUPS
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