NASCAR at Richmond 2015 Qualifying Results: Race Order, Final Times and Reaction

Qualifying for the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Speedway had an added dimension of importance, as Saturday's race will provide drivers with their last chance to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

The better the start, the better the chance of a good finish.

However, the driver ranked second in the Sprint Cup standings took the pole at Richmond, as Joey Logano will start in first Saturday night:

Here is a look at the qualifying results and the race order: 

Start	Driver	Time (Seconds)
1	Joey Logano	21.349
2	Matt Kenseth	21.368
3	Brad Keselowski	21.369
4	Kyle Busch	21.437
5	David Ragan	21.458
6	Kevin Harvick	21.463
7	Carl Edwards	21.474
8	Kurt Busch	21.516
9	Jimmie Johnson	21.530
10	Tony Stewart	21.552
11	Kyle Larson	21.560
12	Austin Dillon	21.570

Logano won the pole position for the fifth time this season, edging Matt Kenseth for the top spot by two-hundredths of a second. Sitting in second place, Kenseth earned his fourth front-row start of the season.

It was a pretty successful day for Logano, though, who also gained a front-row start in the Xfinity Series race later Friday night. Short tracks like Richmond bode well for him, too. The last time he raced on a short track, Logano won the Bristol night race at the end of August.

Four drivers who need wins at Bristol placed well, as NASCAR broke down their positions:

Only one driver recorded a time under 21 seconds in the first round: Kenseth. Yet he didn't even know after his run, according to Catchfence's Chris Knight:

He came right back and took the top spot in the second round with a slightly slower time but looked to be navigating the track well.

While many drivers waited to start their laps in the first round of qualifying, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick were two of the first drivers on the track. The duo, though, had varying results. 

It's tricky to gauge how good a time is when going so early. Drivers and their teams are forced to play guessing games about whether they have a top-24 time to make the second round.

Patrick posted a 21.084-second time, placing her in the top 10, while Earnhardt continually sank at 21.290 seconds, showing how fine a line these drivers toe in short-track racing between a top finish and one that sees them cut in the first round.

Earnhardt tried to make the cut one more time toward the end of the first round but didn't fare much better. He'll be starting Saturday's race in 43rd. 

He wasn't the only one to struggle, either, according to USA Today's Jeff Gluck:

Patrick was out early again in the second round but didn't do as well. She'll be starting in 14th on Saturday. 

It's going to be a crowded field, with space to make moves at a premium. The top finishers in qualifying have done well to ensure they'll have less traffic to navigate through at the start of the race.

Stats courtesy of NASCAR.com.