HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Robert Laberge/Getty Images North America photo —
Kyle Larson would like nothing more than to be the second driver in NASCAR history to successfully enter and win all three national touring series events at the same track on the same weekend. He’s off to a good start after Friday’s qualifying sessions for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Larson, driving for Turner Scott Motorsports this weekend, rocketed to the top of the board in the waning seconds of the final round of knockout qualifying on Friday afternoon, posting a lap of 167.431 mph (32.252 seconds) to claim the Coors Light Pole Award for Friday night’s Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The pole is Larson’s second career NCWTS pole and second of the 2014 season following his top qualifying effort at the Pocono Raceway in August.
Ryan Blaney, who is hoping to supplant Matt Crafton for the 2014 NCWTS championship, will start his final shot at this year’s title from the outside of the front row. Blaney qualified second with a top speed of 167.343 mph, just 0.017 seconds off of Larson’s pole-winning time.
A surprise effort out of the Win-Tron Racing stable put Ross Chastain’s Toyota Tundra third overall on the starting grid with a lap of 167.234 mph (32.290 seconds), meaning all three manfacturers are represented in the first three starting positions.
Blaney’s Brad Keselowski Racing teammate Tyler Reddick clocked in fourth (167.198) and seven-time season winner Kyle Busch will start his bid to seal a third Truck series owner’s championship for Kyle Busch Motorsports from fifth (167.033).
Points leader Matt Crafton will roll sixth, needing to finish 21st or better to clinch his second consecutive title; or 22nd with at least one lap led; or 23rd and the most laps led.
Ty Dillon, subbing tonight for Brennan Newberry, will start seventh. Darrell Wallace Jr., Jeb Burton and Bryan Silas will round out the first five rows on the grid. Ben Kennedy and John Wes Townley were the final two trucks who advanced to the last round of qualifying.
Reddick shot to the top of the board during the second round of knockout qualifying after posting a top speed at 169.295 mph (31.897 seconds), also the top speed of the entire knockout qualifying affair, to lead Larson, Crafton, Wallace and Blaney.
Daniel Hemric was the first car to not advance to the final round, missing out on the 12th and final transfer spot by 0.021 seconds.
Other notables who failed to advance to round three included Joe Nemechek (14th), Timothy Peters (15th), Johnny Sauter (17th), 2014 ARCA Racing Series champion Mason Mitchell (18th) and German Quiroga (22nd).
Larson paced the opening round of qualifying with a circuit of 168.813 mph (31.988 seconds), while that round was stopped by the red flag due to fluid on the track with 14 minutes and 20 seconds left on the clock.
Since only 36 trucks were on hand to make a qualifying attempt, no driver failed to qualify for tonight’s event.
The Ford EcoBoost 200 is set for the green flag at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time tonight, with television coverage on FOX Sports 1.
