Harvick wins final pole of 2016; Chase drivers deeper in field
HOMESTEAD, Fla.—When the final race of the 2016 Sprint Cup season begins, the four drivers in the hunt for a championship will have a long distance to go to get to the front of the pack.
Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards were the only drivers to reach the final round of qualifying, but even they will start only ninth and 10th, respectively. Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson missed the final cut, and will begin 13th and 14th. Both pairs of drivers will line up alongside each other to start the race. Kevin Harvick, eliminated from the Chase one week ago at Phoenix, will start the final race of the season on the pole, with Brad Keselowski also on the front row.
Johnson suffered the first adversity of the weekend when he found himself outside the Top 24 with less than a minute remaining in the first round of qualifying. A deep-pack start isn’t automatically a Cup-killer at Homestead, but given the whisker-thin margin between victory and defeat, it’s preferable to have most cars behind you rather than ahead. Johnson ran a single pressure-laden lap to leap from 29th to 22nd heading into the second round.
“Qualifying is not my thing,” Johnson said. “I’m ready to line ’em up and race.”
But the field then shrunk to 12, and that left two Chase drivers out in the cold. Johnson, on worn tires, wasn’t able to post a time in the top 12, and Logano found himself bounced out by Tony Stewart.
“It is what it is,” Logano said. “We’ll start 13th, and we’ll move forward from there.”
Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Edwards and Busch weren’t able to crack the top five, and given the fact that quality pit stalls are at a premium at Homestead, all four Chase drivers are now facing a hurdle they didn’t want or need. At least they’re doing it together.
“What’s a championship race,” Johnson smiled, “without a little drama?”
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION, on sale now at Amazon or wherever books are sold. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
