The final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway is always a bitter sweet time for drivers and race fans.
It’s the last time fans will see racing until February at Daytona and, for some drivers, it’s the final team they will be with their current team.
That’s the case for Joey Logano who will leave his current home at Joe Gibbs Racing for the seat behind the wheel of the No.22 for Penkse Racing in 2013.
So, what better way to close out the season with a team than to win the pole for the final race of the season?
That’s exactly what Logano did with his lap averaging the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway at 176.056 mph in 30.672 seconds to earn the top starting position for Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400.
The pole is the fifth of the 22-year-old’s Sprint Cup Series career,and the second time he will start from the position in 2012.
While Logano and his team have their eyes on sending out their tenure together with a win, many eyes will be focused on the battle for the championship between Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson.
And that battle started during Friday night’s qualifying where the No.2 and the No.48 took their timed laps just five cars apart. Being faster in the one and only practice session on Friday, Johnson had the later draw with cooler, faster track conditions.
Keselowski set the top lap midway through the session, but was quickly bumped off by Marcos Ambrose.
Johnson on the other hand, qualified right behind Keselowski in the third position at the time of his lap.
When the session was over, Keselowski wound up starting in third, while Johnson will start Sunday’s race from the tenth position.
“I was prepared to qualify drastically behind the 48 car,” said Keselowski. “I think our whole team was.”
47 cars attempted to qualify for the Ford EcoBoost 400, but four of them failed to make the starting field.
Ford EcoBoost 400 Starting Lineup
- Joey Logano
- Marcos Ambrose
- Brad Keselowski
- Carl Edwards
- Aric Almirola
- Clint Bowyer
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Kyle Busch
- Mark Martin
- Jimmie Johnson
- Matt Kenseth
- Kasey Kahne
- Greg Biffle
- Jamie McMurray
- Jeff Gordon
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Paul Menard
- Ryan Newman
- Trevor Bayne
- Juan Pablo Montoya
- David Stremme
- Kevin Harvick
- Regan Smith
- Michael McDowell
- Kurt Busch
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Casey Mears
- Mike Bliss
- Landon Cassill
- Dave Blaney
- Bobby Labonte
- Jeff Burton
- David Ragan
- Tony Stewart
- Josh Wise
- David Reuitmann
- Travis Kvapil
- JJ Yeley
- Scott Riggs
- David Gilliland
- Denny Hamlin
- Ken Schrader
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