NASCAR at Texas 2016 Qualifying Results: Race Order, Final Times and Reaction

Everything is bigger in Texas, and that applies to Texas Motor Speedway, the 1.5-mile track that will host Saturday's Duck Commander 500.

But before the green flag could drop, the event's field was set in Friday's qualifying rounds for the Sprint Cup race.

Here are the results and race order after Friday's qualifying session:

Place	Driver	Best Time (Seconds)
1	Carl Edwards	27.748
2	Joey Logano	27.935
3	Martin Truex Jr.	27.935
4	Chase Elliott	27.974
5	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	27.988
6	Denny Hamlin	27.992
7	Ryan Blaney	27.996
8	Brad Keselowski	28.025
9	Matt Kenseth	28.072
10	Austin Dillon	28.074
11	Jimmie Johnson	28.197
12	Trevor Bayne	28.336
CUT 2
13	Brian Vickers	27.993
14	Greg Biffle	28.001
15	Kyle Busch	28.031
16	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	28.045
17	Kasey Kahne	28.066
18	Jamie McMurray	28.124
19	Ryan Newman	28.137
20	Kyle Larson	28.168
21	Kurt Busch	28.184
22	Kevin Harvick	28.193
23	AJ Allmendinger	28.208
24	Aric Almirola	28.222
CUT 1
25	Paul Menard	28.064
26	Danica Patrick	28.108
27	Brian Scott	28.127
28	Regan Smith	28.158
29	Matt DiBenedetto	28.202
30	Ty Dillon	28.230
31	David Ragan	28.235
32	Casey Mears	28.337
33	Landon Cassill	28.387
34	Chris Buescher	38.403
35	Michael Annett	28.516
36	Clint Bowyer	28.553
37	Cole Whitt	28.694
38	Jeffrey Earnhardt	29.107
39	Josh Wise	29.195
40	Reed Sorenson	29.737

Carl Edwards won his 17th career pole, his second at Texas and his first since November 2013 with a lap time of 27.748 seconds.

Xfinity Racing pointed out that this was Edwards' first pole win of the 2016 season:

Texas Motor Speedway caught a picture of him in Victory Lane:

On a qualifying day that saw the times increase as the session continued, Edwards was the only driver in the third round to hit 194 mph and clock in quicker than 27.9 seconds. 

Drivers had to contend with an abrasive race track, which made improving times as the day advanced more difficult.

As more cars made their qualifying runs, the track broke down as fragments worked their way into the tires. This made traction more difficult to find, and some drivers got loose on turns. 

Casey Mears was a victim, as Fox Sports 1 showed:

Brian Vickers was also affected. After posting the top time in the first round of qualifying, Vickers finished 13th in the second round, one spot below the cut line, and he'll start Saturday's race at that position. 

Kyle Busch, who will start in 15th, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will be one place behind him, were among other notable names who were cut in the second round.

In a 334-lap race, a 40-car field is going to wear down the track at Texas Motor Speedway, which could create a lot of cautions Saturday, whether they be from debris or wrecks.

With conditions like these, it will be imperative for drivers to pick and choose when they want to get their tires changed, as it could be the difference between staying on the track and exiting the race early.

Post-Race Reaction

Heading into Saturday leading the pack, Edwards was feeling good about his chances, via Stephen Hawkins of the Associated Press: "My confidence level was pretty decent, but now it's really good. It's up there. To have that fast of a race car is huge, but I like this place."

While Texas Motor Speedway proved to be a challenge for some drivers due to track conditions, Edwards didn't feel that way, via Hawkins:

"

I don't know what the other guys feel, the tire and downforce package for me lets me feel like I can go into the corner and move around and feel the tire underneath me. Even in qualifying, there were times when I got a little sideways and it slid a little bit and I could recover and that's really fun as a race car driver.

"

With that kind of confidence and enjoyment out of a tough track like this, it would be difficult to pick against Edwards in Saturday's race. 

But all that's needed is a wrong turn or one driver that has the better car for the day's conditions and Edwards will be held out of victory lane on Saturday. 

Stats courtesy of NASCAR.com.