Bristol NASCAR: Kenseth, Joe Gibbs and Toyota get first 2015 pole
Matt Kenseth gave Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota their first poles of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season in qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway
Kenseth outpaced Penske Ford driver Brad Keselowski by 0.022 seconds around the half-mile oval to secure the top spot.
All four JGR Camrys made it to the final part of qualifying, with Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin sandwiching champion Kevin Harvick's Stewart-Haas Chevrolet in third and fifth, and Kyle Busch's stand-in David Ragan taking 11th.
Joey Logano had been quickest in the first two rounds of qualifying but could only manage sixth in the pole shootout.
Hendrick only got one car through to the final segment - practice pacesetter Kasey Kahne, who qualified eighth.
Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Gordon were out in round two, taking eighth and 23rd, while Jimmie Johnson did not get beyond the opening session and will start back in 28th.
Several drivers from smaller teams fared well on the tight track, though. Landon Cassill and Michael McDowell claimed rare top-20 starts for Hillman and Leavine Family Racing respectively.
STARTING GRID:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 14.917s | - |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 14.939s | 0.022s |
| 3 | Carl Edwards | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 14.953s | 0.036s |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 14.966s | 0.049s |
| 5 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.059s | 0.142s |
| 6 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 15.071s | 0.154s |
| 7 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 15.124s | 0.207s |
| 8 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.129s | 0.212s |
| 9 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.129s | 0.212s |
| 10 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 15.155s | 0.238s |
| 11 | David Ragan | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.176s | 0.259s |
| 12 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.197s | 0.280s |
| 13 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.099s | - |
| 14 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 15.100s | - |
| 15 | Justin Allgaier | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.161s | - |
| 16 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 15.168s | - |
| 17 | Landon Cassill | Hillman Smith Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.177s | - |
| 18 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.218s | - |
| 19 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | 15.235s | - |
| 20 | A.J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 15.236s | - |
| 21 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 15.249s | - |
| 22 | Matt DiBenedetto | BK Racing | Toyota | 15.253s | - |
| 23 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.276s | - |
| 24 | Brett Moffitt | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 15.326s | - |
| 25 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 15.183s | - |
| 26 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 15.189s | - |
| 27 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 15.192s | - |
| 28 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.211s | - |
| 29 | J.J. Yeley | BK Racing | Toyota | 15.223s | - |
| 30 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 15.250s | - |
| 31 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 15.253s | - |
| 32 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 15.274s | - |
| 33 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 15.283s | - |
| 34 | Jeb Burton | BK Racing | Toyota | 15.288s | - |
| 35 | Josh Wise | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 15.295s | - |
| 36 | Michael Annett | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.331s | - |
| 37 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 15.348s | - |
| 38 | Chris Buescher | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 15.348s | - |
| 39 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 15.358s | - |
| 40 | Alex Bowman | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 15.405s | - |
| 41 | Mike Bliss | Go FAS Racing | Ford | 15.458s | - |
| 42 | Cole Whitt | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 15.468s | - |
| 43 | Alex Kennedy | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 15.523s | - |
| 44 | Brendan Gaughan | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.470s | - |
| 45 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 15.514s | - |
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