Martin Truex jr. wins pole at Richmond, Chase Elliott second for Toyota Owners 400

If Martin Truex Jr. has something to prove at Richmond Raceway, he’ll do it from the best possible starting spot on Saturday night.

Defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. isn’t one of the drivers people are talking about right now, since Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have been the names on everyone’s lips. He’s also not been the best in the Toyota Owners 400, with only one top-five finish ever and not all that many top-10s in his Richmond Raceway career.

Maybe that’s about to change, though, as Truex was plenty fast on Friday evening at Richmond, claiming the Busch Pole for Saturday’s race. Chase Elliott joins him in the front row, with Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson rounding out the top five.

Surprisingly, Kyle Busch wasn’t very quick, failing to even make it past the first qualifying round. He’ll attempt to win his third straight Cup Series race starting from the 32nd position. Also notable is Daniel Hemric, who will make his series debut in the No. 8 once driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. He’ll start 22nd.

Next: Are Elliott, Larson headed in different directions?

Here’s a look at the entire lineup for the Toyota Owners 400, which airs live Saturday night on FOX beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Toyota Owners 400 starting grid for Richmond Raceway

1. Martin Truex Jr. – No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/5-hour Energy Toyota
2. Chase Elliott – No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
3. Joey Logano – No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford
4. Denny Hamlin – No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota
5. Kyle Larson – No. 42 Credit One Bank Chevrolet
6. Kurt Busch – No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford
7. Erik Jones – No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota
8. Jamie McMurray – No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet
9. William Byron – No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet
10. Kevin Harvick – No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford
11. Alex Bowman – No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford
13. Ryan Blaney – No. 12 Dex Imaging Ford
14. Ryan Newman – No. 31 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet
15. David Ragan – No. 38 MDS Transport Ford
16. Clint Bowyer – No. 14 Ford Hall of Fans Ford
17. Jimmie Johnson – No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet
18. Bubba Wallace – No. 43 Food Lion Feeds Chevrolet
19. Chris Buescher – No. 37 Bush’s Beans Chevrolet
20. Paul Menard – No. 21 Menards/Quaker State Ford
21. Trevor Bayne – No. 6 AdvoCare Ford
22. Daniel Hemric – No. 8 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet
23. Austin Dillon – No. 3 AAA Chevrolet
24. Michael McDowell – No. 34 K-LOVE Radio Ford
25. Aric Almirola – No. 10 Smithfield Ford
26. Daniel Suarez – No. 19 ARRIS Toyota
27. Matt DiBenedetto – No. 32 Superior Logistics Services, Inc. Ford
28. Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford
29. Kasey Kahne – No. 95 WRL General Contractors Chevrolet
30. Ross Chastain – No. 15 TBA Chevrolet
31. Ty Dillon – No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet
32. Kyle Busch – No. 18 M&M’s Flavor Vote Toyota
33. AJ Allmendinger – No. 47 Kroger Click List Chevrolet
34. Gray Gaulding – No. 23 Hibachi Box/Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant Toyota
35. Cole Whitt – No. 72 TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet
36. Landon Cassill – No. 00 Starcom Fiber Chevrolet
37. Reed Sorensen – No. 55 VIPRacingExperience.com Toyota
38. Harrison Rhodes – No. 51 Industrial Construction Experts, Inc. Chevrolet