NASCAR at Kansas 2015 Qualifying Results: Race Order, Final Times and Reaction – Bleacher Report

NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup will reach its halfway point Sunday at Kansas Speedway with 12 drivers alive in the Contender Round, the second of four stages in NASCAR’s version of the playoffs.

Brad Keselowski, seeking his second championship, captured the Hollywood Casino 400 pole Friday with a high speed of 195.503 miles per hour. However, he was forced to forgo his pit selection as punishment for receiving his fourth inspection warning earlier this week.

Keselowski ended up with stall No. 42, while Carl Edwards, who qualified second, selected the first stall, which he told Kenny Bruce of NASCAR.com is an advantage for getting off pit road with minimal obstacles:

First pit stall “huge” says No. 2 qualified Edwards. “That’s a gift and we’ll take it.” @kansasspeedway #NASCAR

— Kenny Bruce (@kennybruce) October 16, 2015

Chase contenders accounted for nine of the top 10 starting spots. Here is a look at the qualifying results from Friday. For the full results, visit NASCAR.com:

The pole is Keselowski’s first at Kansas, second in 2015 and 10th overall since joining the series in 2008. Keselowski also topped the leaderboard during the opening round of Friday’s practice, per NASCAR.com. The 2012 champion is coming off a ninth-place finish at Charlotte and 13 points off the Chase lead. 

Bob Pockrass of ESPN.com tweeted that Keselowski earned a toy car for winning the pole, which his newborn daughter eagerly welcomed:

Brad Keselowski’s little toy car he won for earning the pole will be a big hit in the home …. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/2EATRLCSGo

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 16, 2015

Along with Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch put three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers in the top five for Sunday’s start.

Ten of the 12 Chase drivers advanced to the final round of qualifying, with Chase leader Joey Logano (14th) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (15th) being the only two on the outside. Logano won last week at Charlotte and is the reigning champion of the fall race at Kansas. 

If last year was any indication, fans are in for a treat. Logano outlasted then-rookie Kyle Larson by .480 seconds to secure his fifth victory in 2014, while Chase favorites Earnhardt, Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson all endured issues that played major factors in their eventual elimination.

After Kansas, the Sprint Cup Series will trek to Talladega—the true wild card of the Chase—for the final race of the Contender Round. From there, the top eight in the standings will advance to the Eliminator Round.