Harvick sweeps to Darlington pole

In what is becoming a familiar sight at Darlington Raceway, the No. 4 Ford of Kevin Harvick will start from the pole Sunday evening.

Harvick swept all three rounds of qualifying for the Bojangles' Southern 500 and grabbed the pole with a lap of 177.730 mph. It is the 37th pole of Harvick's career in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Additionally, it is the third time in four years Harvick will start on the front row at Darlington.

• Starting lineup

In 2014, Harvick started on the pole and won the race. Last season, Harvick was awarded the pole when rain washed out qualifying.

"I thought I had given some [speed] up in the second round through [Turns] 3 and 4 and that seemed to be our strong point. So, I knew if I could just not get it in the corner at the wrong spot, that I had a little bit to get down there and they made the car better," Harvick said.

"This has been a really good racetrack for us and it's been a lot of fun this weekend. I just love racing here."

Defending race winner Martin Truex Jr. will start alongside Harvick on the front row. Truex's best lap in the third round of qualifying was 177.077 mph. The No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team is seeking its fifth win of the season Sunday night and Truex can clinch the regular-season championship if he holds at least a 61-point lead on second place.

The rest of the fastest five were Kyle Busch (176.682 mph), Kyle Larson (176.568 mph) and Jamie McMurray (176.422 mph). Busch is the series' most recent winner and a past Darlington victor while the Chip Ganassi Racing teammates of Larson and McMurray have never won at the "Lady in Black."

Filling out the rest of the top 10 were Brad Keselowski (176.107 mph), Kurt Busch (176.037 mph), Joey Logano (176.006 mph), Denny Hamlin (175.918 mph), and Erik Jones (175.403 mph).

NEXT UP: The Bojangles' Southern 500 at 6 p.m. ET Sunday night on NBCSN.