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

The field is set for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway after qualifying Friday.

Joey Logano took his 17th career pole and his third at Michigan with a top time of 35.697 seconds, per NASCAR:

While he will lead the field, here's a look at the final results and order for Sunday's race:

Place	Driver	Time (Seconds)
1	Joey Logano	35.697
2	Jimmie Johnson	35.728
3	Denny Hamlin	35.747
4	Kevin Harvick	35.753
5	Chase Elliott	35.767
6	Alex Bowman	35.784
7	Ryan Blaney	35.785
8	Jamie McMurray	35.814
9	Carl Edwards	35.820
10	Ryan Newman	35.917
11	Kasey Kahne	35.995
12	Kyle Larson	36.119
2nd Cut
13	Matt Kenseth	35.930
14	Martin Truex Jr.	35.936
15	Tony Stewart	35.942
16	Kyle Busch	35.956
17	Austin Dillon	35.981
18	Brad Keselowski	35.997
19	Kurt Busch	36.135
20	Paul Menard	36.144
21	Chris Buescher	36.197
22	Greg Biffle	36.219
23	Danica Patrick	36.227
24	Trevor Bayne	36.330
1st Cut
25	AJ Allmendinger	36.315
26	Aric Almirola	36.331
27	Clint Bowyer	36.340
28	Casey Mears	36.446
29	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	36.454
30	Brian Scott	36.715
31	Regan Smith	36.719
32	David Ragan	36.724
33	Landon Cassill	36.816
34	Matt DiBenedetto	36.893
35	Sam Hornish Jr.	37.026
36	Michael Annett	37.337
37	Cole Whitt	37.486
38	Josh Wise	37.512
39	Reed Sorenson	38.102
40	Jeffrey Earnhardt	N/A

Monster speeds were expected during qualifying after some fast practice sessions. Earlier Friday, an average speed of 201 mph was posted on exhibition laps, which was nearly 1.5 mph faster than the pole speed of June's race at Michigan, according to the NBC Sports telecast. 

That speed (199.557 mph), which Logano posted, was also the fastest mark put up by a pole winner this season.

But with the track heating up from 111 to 120 degrees by qualifying, times slowed down slightly, especially in the first round, when drivers were tentative. 

Instead, many waited for the last few minutes of the round, which diminished the amount of clean air available for the cars to create speed with. However, drivers who went out for a second run in the first round did see a decrease in times thanks to broken-in tires that were able to provide more grip.

Still, nine drivers managed to hit the 200 mph mark in the first round. 

Jimmie Johnson led the pack after the opening 20 minutes and kept up the consistently fast times in the final two rounds. He'll start in second Sunday. 

He was hoping the good vibes will carry over to Sunday's race, per Team Lowe's Racing:

As the evening wore on, the track began to cool down, and the speeds began to work back up. Of the 24 drivers competing in the second round of qualifying, 18 eclipsed 200 mph. 

In the final round, Logano went out first and put up a speed of 201.698 mph, which the final 11 drivers couldn't match.

For Logano, winning the pole at Michigan is usually a good omen. After taking the pole in June, he won the Firekeepers Casino 400, and he'll look to repeat that performance Sunday and pull off the sweep at Michigan.

Post-Race Reaction

Logano broke down how he went from middle of the pack to pole winner, per Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports:

"

I was surprised after the first couple of rounds when we weren’t as fast as the last time we were here. We were eighth going into the final round but great adjustments to find a little bit more speed out of this thing. I was down there waiting and [crew chief Todd Gordon] said, ‘Take it’ So I said, ‘Yeah, I am going to take it.’ So I got pumped up and I had the attitude that we were going to grab it or we were going to crash. It worked out well.

"

But he didn't waste much time reveling in the win as he began looking forward to Sunday, per Jeff Gluck of the USA Today (h/t Detroit Free Press): "Track position is a big deal and pit stall No. 1 is a big deal … Obviously, this race is going to turn into another strategy fest. Neat to be able to start in front again here at Michigan."

Given his track record at Michigan paired with his pick of the stall, it's a safe assumption that Logano is going to be at or near the front of Sunday's race. 

Stats courtesy of NASCAR.com.