NASCAR: Logano on pole for Chase cut-off race

Joey Logano scored his fifth pole position of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season in qualifying at Richmond.

In the third and final part of qualifying, Penske Ford driver Logano set a best lap of 21.349 seconds. That put him 0.019s ahead of second-placed Matt Kenseth, who had set the pace in the first two segments.

Logano's teammate Brad Keselowski was just one thousandth of a second slower than Kenseth in third place, with Kyle Busch taking fourth.

Ahead the final race before the Chase, fifth-placed David Ragan was the highest-placed of those requiring a win to qualify. Behind the Michael Waltrip Racing driver were Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson.

The last three cars in the top 12 shootout were three drivers needing to win Saturday night's race to make the Chase; Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon.

Those currently on course to qualify for the Chase who missed the cut for the top 12 were Ryan Newman in 13th, Martin Truex Jr. in 16th, Paul Menard in 22nd and Jeff Gordon in 23rd.

Denny Hamlin (25th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (29th) and Jamie McMurray (31st) were the highest-profile casualties of the first segment. The driver currently on the bubble in terms of making the Chase on points, Clint Bowyer, was 26th.

Aric Almirola and Kasey Kahne – the two drivers directly behind Bowyer in the standings – qualified 24th and 20th, respectively.

Originally on Autosport.com