Matt Kenseth Outlasts the Field at Auto Club to Take the Pole

         With a time of 38.438 seconds (187.315 mph), Matt Kenseth was able to take the pole at Auto Club after holding off a last ditch run from Brad Keselowski. Kenseth went out early in the final round, which was five minutes, and he immediately jumped to the top of the board. Still, he would have to wait. Contenders failed to surpass him and only Brad Keselowski remained on track with a legitimate shot after the clock had ran out. He came across the line and he came within a few hundredths of the pole, but Matt Kenseth was able to hold on. Nonetheless, Brad Keselowski will roll off second on Sunday for the fourth straight week. Jimmie Johnson, who has shown speed the entire day, will roll off third followed by Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer, respectively. A good many of the front running contenders on the year are starting outside of the top fifteen. Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon, Kasey Kahne, and others will all be in deep holes when the race goes green on Sunday. Plus, the field with have to deal with tricky conditions on the old Auto Club Speedway track surface. With this qualifying session, we could see the winner come from any row of the starting order.

        Jeff Gordon was the first driver on track for the twenty five minute first round. He ran a decent lap that put him solidly in the top twenty four. Two minutes into the session, Kevin Harvick jumped to the top of the board with a fast lap. All the drivers began to flow out onto the massive speedway, but Kevin Harvick was still on top as the focus shifted to the drivers looking to make the top twenty four. With about ten minutes left, the battle was starting to heat up. Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, and others began to battle for the final transfer spot. The minutes began to click off on the first round and only one minute remained with Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr. making their way into the second round. Jamie McMurray was on the bubble and Greg Biffle was looking to make his way into the second round. Biffle went out and laid down a lap fast enough to push him into the second round as McMurray fell out. The red and black flag waved and Kevin Harvick remained the fastest driver heading into the second round. Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, and others moved on while Kasey Kahne, Danica Patrick, and others didn't move on to the second round. Now, twenty four drivers would fight for twelve spots and a chance to go to the five minute last round.

         Jeff Gordon was the first driver on track for the ten minute second round. He ran a very good lap that put him at the top of the board early in the session. All twenty four drivers began to trickle onto the track and Gordon was still ahead of the pack. The minutes began to click down and with about three minutes to go, the battle for twelfth was heating up. Martin Truex Jr., Marcos Ambrose, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, and others began to battle hard for the twelfth spot. A few drivers came on track for their second runs of the round as Martin Truex Jr. held the twelfth and final transfer spot. Each contender for the spot fell just short as the seconds clicked down. Eventually, the red and black flag waved with Jeff Gordon on top and Martin Truex Jr. barely moving on. Matt Kenseth, Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Marcos Ambrose, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, and Tony Stewart rounded out the final twelve while Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others barely missed the third and final round of the session. This brought the final round of the session and it was certainly going to be a battle.

        Kevin Harvick was the first driver on track to start the five minute final round. He ran an extremely good lap and was on top of the board early on in the final round as the minutes began to click down quickly. A few drivers began to head on track and Matt Kenseth was one. With about two minutes left, Kenseth was able to best Harvick's lap and take the provisional pole. A short time remained, but a few drivers were still waiting to run. As time began to click down, the final drivers who hadn't ran flooded onto the track. The red and black flag waved, but a few drivers were still on hot laps. Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr., and others weren't able to move up the board too high, but Brad Keselowski was the final driver on a timed lap. He came flying out of turn four on his lap and he began to come within hundredths of Kenseth's provisional pole speed. Keselowski hit the line and everybody was waiting for the times to update. Keselowski had fallen just five hundredths short and Kenseth was on the pole for the race at Auto Club Speedway. It was a nice momentum boost for Kenseth and one he will hope to take to a victory.

        Matt Kenseth's season last year is one of the most memorable in recent years. He rattled off seven wins to take a second place points finish as he made the move to Joe Gibbs Racing. Had he finished strong at Phoenix in the Fall, Jimmie Johnson might just have five titles still to Kenseth's two. Still, Kenseth's 2013 season wasn't one to frown at. This year has seemed to be different for Kenseth. By this time a season ago, Kenseth had a win already and had dominated the early part of the year. This year, he hasn't really dominated and he doesn't have a win yet. He has been consistent, but he hasn't seemed to be the same Kenseth. This pole could be a game changer. He could move to new heights and he could take a win in the next couple of weeks. One thing is definitely sure: don't sleep on Matt Kenseth yet. Brad Keselowski came so close to his second pole of the season, but he will settle into his fourth straight front row start. Jimmie Johnson continues to look good at his home track in California as he rolls off third. Kevin Harvick needs a momentum swing after several tough races and a fourth place starting spot will help. Clint Bowyer needs to get his season started for real and a fifth place starting spot will help. Jeff Gordon continues to run well this season as he qualifies sixth. Finally, the three drivers involved in so much controversy a season ago at this track will roll off close together. Joey Logano rolls off seventh, Tony Stewart rolls off tenth, and Denny Hamlin rolls off thirteenth. Don't be surprised if we find these three together again late in the race. It should be a fantastic show at Auto Club on Sunday just like it was last year. Will Kyle Busch steal another win away at the track, will Jimmie Johnson take another win at his home track, will Denny Hamlin find retribution after last year's problems at Auto Club, or will another story line play out before our very eyes? We will have to wait until Sunday to find this out and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)





Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Matt Kenseth     38.438 (187.315 mph)
2nd: Brad Keselowski      38.481 (187.105 mph)
3rd: Jimmie Johnson      38.516 (186.935 mph)
4th: Kevin Harvick      38.523 (186.901 mph)
5th: Clint Bowyer      38.614 (186.461 mph)

Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
6th: Jeff Gordon       38.630 (186.384 mph)
7th: Joey Logano      38.653 (186.273 mph)
10th: Tony Stewart     38.753 (185.792 mph)
13th: Denny Hamlin     38.851 (185.323 mph)
14th: Kyle Busch      38.853 (185.314 mph)
15th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.     38.858 (185.290 mph)
17th: Kurt Busch     38.884 (185.166 mph)
20th: Austin Dillon      39.139 (183.960 mph)
26th: Kasey Kahne      39.062 (184.322 mph)*
27th: Danica Patrick     39.067 (184.299 mph)*
(*: These two drivers were faster than some in the top twenty four, but they did not qualify fast enough for the second round of qualifying.)

DNQs: None





Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
http://racing-reference.info/getqualify/2014-05/W
-Image:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/matt-kenseth-claims-nascar-pole-in-fontana/2014/03/21/e6ea0522-b15c-11e3-b8b3-44b1d1cd4c1f_story.html