Matt Kenseth has snagged pole position for today's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at California race, which can be seen on FOX or live streamed for free by clicking this link.
Kenseth outraced Brad Keselowski, who has clearly mastered the new qualifying system very quickly. Kenseth bested him however, posting a lap of 187.315 mph to Keselowski's 187.105 mph. This is Kenseth's first pole of the 2014 season. While happy to be the pole-sitter, Kenseth's of the mind that starting first doesn't matter quite as much at this track.
"This is probably one of the best tracks we go to as far as passing, with all the different lanes," Kenseth said. "Unless you get stuck on the top, there's a lot of options here. This place is really wide. It's very challenging as a driver, but very fun, as well, because you can look around and if your car is running a certain way, you can find a groove that will help your car and move around a lot."
Although Keselowski was bested, he will still begin this race in second position. "This knockout format has been really good for my team," Keselowski said. "I've had a lot of fun with it. I don't feel like a very good qualifier. We've got a lot of great momentum going, and we've just got to keep it going."
Jimmie Johnson rounds out the Top 3, and is looking forward to getting moving on the almost elderly track at the California Grid. "I think it's awesome, I really do," Johnson said of both the track and the new qualifying rules.
"This track has a high wear factor for the tires, and I was concerned that if you had a bad lap, you couldn't go out and improve, but I think to see a couple of cars do that from the first session is nice."
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