DOVER, DE – For the second time in the first three Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup races this year, rain played havoc with Sprint Cup qualifying, forcing cancellation of Friday’s knockout time trials for the first elimination race of the playoffs. This is the third straight Sprint Cup event at Dover for which qualifying has been cancelled because of rain. Starting Lineup With the field set by the rule book, Brad Keselowski, whose No. 2 Team Penske Ford leads the owners’ standings, will start Sunday’s Citizen Soldier 400 from the pole. Martin Truex, Jr., winner of the first Chase race at Chicagoland Speedway, will take the green flag next to Keselowski on the front row. Kyle Busch, who spent Friday’s practice in race trim—anticipating the afternoon rain—will start third, followed by Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin. “We earned it because, obviously, we’ve been having a great season, maybe not with what we’ve done on track today, but with what we’ve done throughout the course of the year in scoring a lot of points and winning races,” Keselowski said. “But it’s certainly still something to be very proud of, to be this far into the season and be in the points lead. These are the perks you get when you’re in that position. We’ll take it, and of course, being up front gives us a very advantageous pit road selection for this race, which I think is very critical.” Having all 16 Chase drivers at the front of the field should make for a dramatic show for spectators, Keselowski said, particularly since the Chase field will be cut from 16 drivers to the top 12 after the event. “I think it makes it more fun to watch, at least at the start, because you’ve got the 12th and 13th-place cars right next to each other (actually on the sixth and seventh rows, respectively),” Keselowski said. “That should be compelling to watch. I won’t get to see it, but you will.” Coincidentally, the drivers who will start 12th and 13th, Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray, are teammates at Chip Ganassi Racing, with Larson currently five points ahead of McMurray in the standings. – by Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
