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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