CONCORD, N.C. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Streeter Lecka/Getty Images North America photo — Don’t call him a rookie, because Chase Elliott is performing like a veteran down the stretch of the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Elliott continued his championship run by qualifying on the pole for tonight’s Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, setting a torrid pace of 181.354 mph in the final round of Coors Light Pole Qualifying to claim his first career pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway and his second pole of 2014.
Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contender Matt Kenseth qualified second with a top speed of 180.977 mph in the final round. Kenseth is looking for his first Nationwide Series win of 2014.
Richard Childress Racing driver Brian Scott was third on the board, with Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Elliott Sadler and Brian Scott rounding out the top five.
Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, Trevor Bayne, Ryan Reed, Brad Keselowski, Ty Dillon and Cale Conley were the rest of the twelve drivers who made it to the third and final round of knockout qualifying.
Chris Buescher was bumped from the top twelve at the last second, with Brendan Gaughan (14th), Ryan Sieg (16th), James Buescher (18th), Ryan Blaney (19th), and Dylan Kwasniewski (21st) among some of the notables to not make it to the final round.
Current championship runner-up Regan Smith will have a big hole to dig out of — he was only able to muster the 22nd-fastest lap in the second round of qualifying (177.626 mph) and will start from the outside of Row 11.
Alex Bowman, in his JR Motorsports debut, paced the opening round of qualifying with a fast lap of 29.915 seconds (180.511 mph), ahead of Larson, Bayne, Elliott and Busch.
Corey Lajoie was the final car to advance out of the first round, with Jeremy Clements (25th), Chad Boat (26th) and Tanner Berryhill (30th) among those unable to advance out of the first round.
Jimmy Weller, Ryan Ellis, Matt Carter, Morgan Shepherd and Mike Harmon were the five cars who failed to qualify for Friday night’s event.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series Drive for the Cure 300 takes the green flag at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, live on ESPN2.
