Qualifying: Kenseth takes pole

The annual made-for-TV special features a different qualifying procedure compared to the straightforward one the Winston Cup drivers face week in, week out. Instead of simply being fastest on track, the drivers must also complete a pit-stop in the middle of a run of laps.

Kenseth's pit crew performed the obligatory stop - changing all four tyres - in 13 seconds flat to give him a total time with the three laps of 1m52.938s. That was enough to beat Michael Waltrip, who proved fastest on the track.

"I'm really proud of them guys," said Kenseth. "To win a pole in Winston Cup, I knew I was going to need help from my team because I can't do it by myself. I'm not a good enough qualifier."

The format for the race has been changed for this year. After the first 40 laps, which will include a mandatory pit stop, the field will be trimmed to the top 20 cars. The second leg will be made up of 30 laps, and from that the top 10 will battle it out for the final 20 laps. A field inversion is also likely at this final stage.

The winner will take a cash prize of $750,000.

Matt Kenseth Ford 1m52.938s
Michael Waltrip Chevrolet 1m53.766s
Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 1m54.307s
Jeff Burton Ford 1m54.390s
Mark Martin Ford 1m54.472s
Elliott Sadler Ford 1m54.805s
Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 1m55.013s
Ricky Rudd Ford 1m55.249s
Ricky Craven Ford 1m55.455s
Terry Labonte Chevrolet 1m55.527s