LOUDON, N.H. — Carl Edwards will start from the pole in his bid to give Joe Gibbs Racing its fourth straight victory.
Edwards continued JGR’s dominance with a lap of 137.980 mph to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup pole Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
SPRINT CUP UP NEXT
WHAT: Sylvania 300
WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, New Hampshire
TELEVISION: NBCSN
Kevin Harvick was second, the boost he needed after finishing 42nd last week in the Chase opener at Chicagoland. Kurt Busch, Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing’s teammate, was third.
Edwards has found a qualifying groove at New Hampshire, sweeping the top spot for both races this season.
“We got a great start to the Chase and we’re just keeping that rolling,” Edwards said.
JGR is the clear favorite to deliver Toyota its first Cup championship. Denny Hamlin rallied from a spin on Lap 2 that dropped him a lap down to win the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship opener last week at Chicagoland Speedway.
JGR has won three consecutive Cup races and nine of the last 12. After one race in the Chase, the top of the points standings are all JGR: Matt Kenseth is the leader, followed by Hamlin, Edwards and Kyle Busch.
“Certainly the last few months, the JGR Toyotas have been strong, so hopefully we can continue to improve and continue to keep getting better the next nine weeks and keep getting some results,” Kenseth said.
Chase for the Sprint Cup championship drivers took 10 of the top 11 spots for the race Sunday. Brad Keselowski was fourth and Jimmie Johnson fifth.
Hamlin was seventh, followed by Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway had some fun with NASCAR’s latest prize fight and stuck a free standing heavy bag with a pair of red Everlast gloves in the motorhome lot.
The sign next to the boxing equipment read: “Chase Stress Reliever.”
There was no reason for any drivers to lace up the gloves and channel their inner Floyd Mayweather and spar a few rounds Friday against the bag.
The only bobbing and weaving came in their responses for reaction to the bout Sunday between Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson.
“I didn’t see it and I don’t know,” 2003 champion Matt Kenseth said. “I practiced that one this morning.”
Added Daytona 500 champ Joey Logano: “Emotions seem to get fired up pretty quick and I don’t really have a reaction.”
Asked about Johnson, Harvick pulled his best Marshawn Lynch and said, “I’m just here so I don’t get fined.”
Johnson, the six-time champ, said he hasn’t talked to Harvick.
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