Las Vegas NASCAR: Brad Keselowski gets pole thanks to rain
NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was cancelled due to persistent rain on Friday, giving pole to champion Brad Keselowski
The top 36 starting positions for this event are set on 2012 owners' points, meaning Penske driver Keselowski will share the front row on Sunday with last year's runner-up Clint Bowyer in the Michael Waltrip Toyota.
Hendrick pair Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne fill row two. Johnson is the current championship leader.
With positions set on owners' rather than drivers' results, Ricky Stenhouse Jr gets seventh on the grid via the points his Roush Fenway predecessor Matt Kenseth earned last year.
Kenseth, now in the ex-Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing #20, will be 18th on the grid.
Positions 37 to 43 are decided by current owners' standings, leaving Humphrey Smith Racing's Mike Bliss as the sole non-qualifier.
The Friday rain also meant practice was called off. But with a test having taken place at the venue on Thursday and two more practice sessions scheduled for Saturday, the loss of Friday mileage is unlikely to inconvenience the paddock.
Pos Driver Team/Car
1. Brad Keselowski Penske Ford
2. Clint Bowyer Waltrip Toyota
3. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet
4. Kasey Kahne Hendrick Chevrolet
5. Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford
6. Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Toyota
7. Ricky Stenhouse Jr Roush Fenway Ford
8. Kevin Harvick Childress Chevrolet
9. Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Chevrolet
10. Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet
11. Martin Truex Jr Waltrip Toyota
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet
13. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Toyota
14. Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Chevrolet
15. Mark Martin Waltrip Toyota
16. Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford
17. Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet
18. Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Toyota
19. Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford
20. Jeff Burton Childress Chevrolet
21. Joey Logano Penske Ford
22. Aric Almirola Petty Ford
23. Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet
24. Kurt Busch Furniture Row Chevrolet
25. Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet
26. Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Toyota
27. Austin Dillon Phoenix Chevrolet
28. Travis Kvapil BK Toyota
29. David Ragan Front Row Ford
30. Casey Mears Germain Ford
31. David Gilliland Front Row Ford
32. David Reutimann BK Toyota
33. Dave Blaney Baldwin Chevrolet
34. Ken Schrader FAS Lane Ford
35. JJ Yeley Baldwin Chevrolet
36. Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Ford
37. Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Chevrolet
38. David Stremme Swan Toyota
39. Michael McDowell Parsons Ford
40. Scott Speed Leavine Ford
41. Landon Cassill Circle Sport Chevrolet
42. Joe Nemechek NEMCO Toyota
43. Josh Wise Front Row Ford
Did not qualify:
Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Toyota
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