DOVER, Del. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images North America photo —
The irony was striking in Friday’s cancellation of qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Dover International Speedway.
A week prior, Matt Kenseth won the second race of the Chase due to Kevin Harvick’s fuel tank running dry, and Friday, he was awarded the pole starting position due to a continuous haze of rain that saw the one-mile track exceedingly wet in coastal Delaware.
As a result, Kenseth and his teammate Denny Hamlin will lead the field to green for the first elimination race of the Chase, the AAA 400 (2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM).
“The hardest thing I did this morning was get out of bed,” Kenseth quipped in the media center following the cancellation of on-track activities. “I know we all wanted to get on-track today and get some practice. I know there’s some things [our team] wanted to work on, but obviously now that’s not going to happen.”
“It’s one of the advantages of leading the points, obviously — you get a good starting position and pit stall — so I’m glad we’re starting out front, but we still would have liked the track time.
All 16 Chase competitors will line up in the order they entered Dover in points on the grid, with Carl Edwards, Joey Logano and 10-time Dover winner Jimmie Johnson rounding out the front five.
Reigning series champion Kevin Harvick will roll from 15th in his quest to overcome a 23-point deficit and advance to the Contender Round of the Chase.
Sprint Cup teams will have two rounds of practice on Saturday, with first practice scheduled for 11 a.m. and final practice set for 12:30 p.m. ET.
STARTING LINEUP: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; AAA 400; Dover International Speedway; October 2, 2015
- Matt Kenseth
- Denny Hamlin
- Carl Edwards
- Joey Logano
- Jimmie Johnson
- Ryan Newman
- Kurt Busch
- Brad Keselowski
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Jeff Gordon
- Jamie McMurray
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Kyle Busch
- Paul Menard
- Kevin Harvick
- Clint Bowyer
- Kasey Kahne
- Aric Almirola
- Kyle Larson
- Greg Biffle
- Austin Dillon
- Casey Mears
- A.J. Allmendinger
- Danica Patrick
- Tony Stewart
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- David Ragan
- Trevor Bayne
- Justin Allgaier
- Cole Whitt
- David Gilliland
- Landon Cassill
- Brett Moffitt
- Alex Bowman
- Alex Kennedy
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Michael Annett
- Jeb Burton
- Reed Sorenson
- Josh Wise
- J.J. Yeley
- Timmy Hill
DNQ: Travis Kvapil
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network. Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 21-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for both the United Sprint Car Series and the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: [email protected]
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
Follow Race Chaser Online: @RaceChaserNews
