Harvick wins pole in a Stewart-Haas 1-2-3-4 sweep at Kansas Speedway
Kevin Harvick is in a familiar place at Kansas Speedway. On the pole.
Harvick, the defending race winner, led a Stewart-Haas 1-2-3-4 qualifying effort on Friday for Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Digital Ally 400. Teammates Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer and Daniel Suarez claimed the next three spots for SHR, which is still looking for its first win in a season that has been dominated by Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske.
Harvick, a three-time winner at Kansas Speedway, turned a top lap of 179.217 mph in the No. 4 Ford Mustang in extending his record to five poles at the track. He won last year’s spring race from the pole, as well as in the fall race in 2013. He also won the fall race in 2016.
“This has just been a really good race track for us since they’ve repaved it (in 2012),” said Harvick, the 2014 Cup champion. “It’s a place that fits a lot of the things I like to do in the car and they like to put in the car for us. You have to take advantage of those places and try to get a good result out of those places you should do well at.”
Almirola, in the Kansas City-based No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang, trailed Harvick with a speed of 178.725 mph and is still looking for redemption after he was airlifted following a fiery crash in the May 2017 race and suffered a broken back that caused him to sit out the next seven races.
“I’ve had two recent top-10s here, so that was kind of sweet revenge of going back to this track and having a good run and putting the accident behind me,” Almirola said. “Our Ford Mustangs are fast, and I like it. It is fun when you show up to the racetrack and have a lot of speed.
“It has been tough to show up to these race tracks and just not feel like we were one of the cars to beat, so it feels good to show up here and have the speed we have today. Hopefully we can carry that speed through to the race.”
Bowyer, from Emporia, is still searching for his first career win in 21 starts at his home track, and his 178.324 mph matched his best qualifying position since he was third in 2012.
“It is fun to be back home in Kansas, and it is fun to be in a fast car at home,” Bowyer said. “That is the biggest thing. Having the top four is just awesome. Obviously, everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing has been working hard to get us in victory lane, and I think their efforts are really starting to show. The speeds in our cars are very obvious from the time we got in there here today.”
Chase Elliott, who won last fall’s race at Kansas Speedway, qualified fifth in the No. 9 Chevrolet at 177.954 mph.