NASCAR at Michigan 2016 Qualifying Results: Race Order, Final Times and Reaction
Joey Logano will start at the pole position for NASCAR's Firekeepers Casino 400 after winning the qualifying round Friday at Michigan International Speedway.
The Firekeepers Casino 400 will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. Technical inspections delayed qualifying about 30 minutes, per ESPN's Bob Pockrass.
Take a look below at the qualifying results and reaction from the day's action.
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| Top 12 | ||
| 1 | Joey Logano | 36.080 |
| 2 | Martin Truex Jr. | 36.178 |
| 3 | Tony Stewart | 36.190 |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | 36.222 |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney | 36.256 |
| 6 | Ryan Newman | 36.296 |
| 7 | Kyle Larson | 36.328 |
| 8 | Austin Dillon | 36.361 |
| 9 | Kyle Busch | 36.397 |
| 10 | Chase Elliott | 36.483 |
| 11 | Carl Edwards | 36.632 |
| 12 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 36.902 |
| Second Cut | ||
| 13 | Trevor Bayne | 36.387 |
| 14 | Jamie McMurray | 36.409 |
| 15 | Brad Keselowski | 36.443 |
| 16 | Jimmie Johnson | 36.456 |
| 17 | Kurt Busch | 36.515 |
| 18 | Greg Biffle | 36.575 |
| 19 | Matt Kenseth | 36.635 |
| 20 | A.J. Allmendinger | 36.643 |
| 21 | Ty Dillon | 36.696 |
| 22 | Chris Buescher | 36.709 |
| 23 | Kasey Kahne | 36.711 |
| 24 | Casey Mears | 36.780 |
| First Cut | ||
| 25 | Danica Patrick | 36.700 |
| 26 | Brian Scott | 36.710 |
| 27 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 36.720 |
| 28 | Landon Cassill | 36.742 |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | 36.747 |
| 30 | Aric Almirola | 36.775 |
| 31 | Matt DiBenedetto | 36.846 |
| 32 | Paul Menard | 36.960 |
| 33 | Regan Smith | 37.177 |
| 34 | Clint Bowyer | 37.359 |
| 35 | David Ragan | 37.363 |
| 36 | Cole Whitt | 37.652 |
| 37 | Josh Wise | 37.930 |
| 38 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | 38.071 |
| 39 | Michael Annett | 38.358 |
| 40 | Reed Sorenson | 38.378 |
NASCAR provided a look at the Logano team celebration:
For the third week in a row, Logano finished the second round with the fastest time, but this time he was able to win the final heat and secure the pole position.
After winning at Pocono Raceway on June 6, Kurt Busch looks like one of the top drivers in the sport at the moment, and he should feel confident heading into Sunday's race. Busch won the Firekeepers Casino 400 a year ago. He also won on this track in 2003.
Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin are other active drivers with multiple victories in this race.
Busch had a rough Friday at Michigan, as he was knocked out of qualifying in the second round. Still, he will likely be a factor at the main event this weekend.
The 20-minute opening heat was stopped after eight minutes due to a caution flag for debris, but driving resumed after only a few minutes.
David Ragan also wrecked on a turn with about four minutes remaining in the first round. NASCAR gave a look at the spinout:
The multiple delays came at unfortunate times for Kevin Harvick, per Fox Sports' Tom Jensen:
Harvick could not overcome the disadvantages, failing to make the first cut.
Earnhardt Jr. was another surprising name cut in the first round, given his past success at Michigan. However, he felt good about his car, per Pockrass:
Hamlin and Logano have arguably been the most consistent drivers in NASCAR this season.
Hamlin has one victory, four top-five finishes and six top 10s. Logano has not won this season, but he has four top fives and eight top-10 finishes.
Logano has been unable to break through so far, but he got one monkey off his back with the pole position win. Expect another triumph Sunday as well.
Statistics are courtesy of Racing-Reference.com.
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