LONG POND, Pa. — Kevin Harvick is 0 for Pocono.
He’s going to start first at the track for the first time in his career. Harvick would like to finish first for the first time, as well, and erase one of the dubious marks in his otherwise stellar career. Harvick has never won at Pocono: 0 for 37. Harvick, the 2007 Daytona 500 winner and 2014 Cup champion, has won at every active track except Pocono and Kentucky.
“We’d love to cross this one off,” Harvick said. “It’s been a successful racetrack.”
Harvick turned a lap of 174.058 mph Saturday to take the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at Pocono Raceway, following up his first victory of the season last week at New Hampshire with another strong run in his No. 4 Ford.
Harvick helped Ford sweep the front row and claim the top three spots in the field. He’ll be joined on the front row for Sunday’s 400-mile race by reigning Cup champion Joey Logano. Aric Almirola, Harvick’s teammate at Stewart-Haas Racing, qualified third.
Erik Jones and Austin Dillon completed the top five.
Harvick won his fourth pole of the season and 29th of his career. He hasn’t exactly flopped at Pocono, where he was second in both 2017 races. He finished fourth in both races last season but was 22nd this season in the June Pocono race.
“There’s not a race that we go to that we don’t think we can win,” Harvick said.
Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, who made his Cup debut last week in New Hampshire, posted the slowest qualifying time and will start 38th.
XFINITY: Chase Briscoe passed Christopher Bell with six laps to go and won at Iowa Speedway for his first victory of the year.
Briscoe’s only other Xfinity victory came last season on Charlotte’s roval.
Bell led a career-high 235 out of 250 laps, but old tires allowed Briscoe to take over and clinch a playoff berth in the No. 98 Ford.
John Hunter Nemechek was third, followed by Noah Gragson and points leader Tyler Reddick. Cole Custer, who entered the race in third place in the standings, got loose and crashed into the wall with 90 laps to go.
TRUCKS: Ross Chastain dominated at Pocono Raceway to win his third race this season.
Tyler Ankrum was second, followed by Harrison Burton, Christian Eckes and Brett Moffitt.
INDYCAR: Will Power edged defending race champion Alexander Rossi for his record fourth pole at the Honda Indy 200, working the 13-turn course for a fast lap of 124.757 mph at Lexington, Ohio.
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