Kenseth claims pole at Richmond

Matt Kenseth is off to a good start in securing his spot in the playoffs.

Friday evening, Kenseth surged in the third round of qualifying to win the pole for Saturday's night regular season finale at Richmond. With a lap of 122.421 mph, Kenseth earned his second pole of the season, having also won pole at the same venue in the spring. It is his third overall at Richmond, and the 20th of Kenseth's career.

• Starting lineup

Sitting 15th on the playoff grid, Kenseth will go into the Federated Auto Parts 400 looking to hold onto a 92-point buffer.

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"The first round it felt really good, the second round it was pretty good as well," Kenseth said. "The third round it didn't feel as good, but luckily it was fast enough, so it kind of missed the balance a little bit there. But got a fast enough lap to get the pole.

"I was pretty happy with my car this morning. The second practice wasn't as good, so hoping we'll be good tomorrow night."

Kenseth's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin will start second following a lap of 122.277 mph. A three-time Richmond winner, Hamlin is also the defending winner of this event. Kurt Busch (122.266 mph), Kyle Larson (122.006 mph), and Martin Truex Jr. (121.984 mph) completed the top five.

Filling out the top 10 were Kevin Harvick (121.737 mph), Kyle Busch (121.529 mph), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (121.507 mph), Chase Elliott (121.474 mph), and Erik Jones (121.343 mph). Jones is one of the first drivers on the outside looking in at the playoffs while Elliott is 14th on the playoff grid with a 94-point advantage.

Qualifying 11th was Jamie McMurray, the driver who holds down the final playoff spot. McMurray goes into Saturday with a 91-point advantage.

NEXT UP: The Federated Auto Parts 400 at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday.