DOVER, Del. — When the rain hit Dover, Kevin Harvick was prepared.

Harvick’s team made the call in the middle of the week to send the No. 4 Chevrolet out for practice in its qualifying setup because rain was forecast for Friday.

With a Sprint Cup lineup set by practice speeds in the event of a qualifying rainout, Harvick had a needed edge. He posted the fastest lap of 165.145 mph in the only practice at Dover International Speedway and will start first for the first time this season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join Harvick on the front row for Sunday’s race. Joe Gibbs Racing placed Kyle Busch third and Carl Edwards fourth. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top five.

Harvick, who had not won a pole through the first 11 races of the season, won the fall race at Dover.

“The guys have done a great job prepping the cars and hit on some things that we like,” Harvick said.

The 2014 Cup champion, Harvick has one win this season and a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship secured.

But several other drivers who are regulars in the win column have a big zero next to their name – notably Kurt Busch, Earnhardt, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr.

The lone practice was marred by a three-car accident that involved Danica Patrick, Tony Stewart and Jamie McMurray.

TRUCKS: Matt Crafton had long considered the menacing Miles The Monster trophy the coolest in the series.

He finally has one of his own.

Snapping a winless streak at Dover International Speedway that stretched 15 years, Crafton held off Daniel Suarez down the stretch and raced to a Truck Series victory.

“I always wanted Miles,” he said. “We’ve gotten close. We’ve had very fast trucks. But our Toyota was very, very good today.”

INDYCAR: Simon Pagenaud continued his early-season dominance by winning the pole for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

The French driver, who leads the standings, took the top spot with a fast lap of 1 minute, 8.6868 seconds in the final round of qualifying. He has won two straight poles and two consecutive races for Team Penske.

American Charlie Kimball, who drives for Chip Ganassi, will start a career-best second after completing the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course in 1:08.9816.

n IndyCar officials found a popular replacement for its canceled race in Boston, announcing it would return to Watkins Glen International in New York.

The race is set for Sept. 4, the same day the Boston race was scheduled, and will be the 15th event on the 16-race schedule.

Boston was scheduled to host a race on the city’s streets, and IndyCar had touted the weekend as an opportunity to showcase its event in front of a new audience that would include college students. But residents’ concerns about traffic congestion and demands from city and state officials forced organizers to call off the race.