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NASCAR Quaker State 400 starting grid for Kentucky: Martin Truex Jr. claims 4th pole of season

By Nick Tylwalk

SPARTA, KY - JULY 13: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota, signs the Busch Pole board after qualifying for the pole position for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart at Kentucky Speedway on July 13, 2018 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
SPARTA, KY - JULY 13: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota, signs the Busch Pole board after qualifying for the pole position for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart at Kentucky Speedway on July 13, 2018 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /
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Martin Truex Jr. looks to make it two in a row at Kentucky Speedway and will start from the pole on Saturday night.

To earn his first ever Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at Daytona last Saturday, Erik Jones had to outduel one of the top drivers in the sport, defending series champion Martin Truex Jr. That might be an even tougher task at Kentucky Speedway for the Quaker State 400, a race Truex just happened to win last year.

Jones is starting in a great spot on the outside of Row 1, but the man leading the field to the green flag is Truex, so that might be one spot too little. Truex captured his fourth Busch Pole Award of 2018, squeaking by Jones by just over one tenth of a second. The rest of the top five is full of heavy hitters, with Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch starting third through fifth Saturday night.

As has been the case more often that they would like this year, the Chevrolet camp looked a little slow during qualifying at Kentucky. Ryan Newman was the fastest Chevy, and he’ll only start 10th. Chase Elliott (16th) and Kyle Larson (18th) will be among just six Camaros in the top 20 when the race gets underway.

Truex is trying to keep pace with both Harvick and Kyle Busch, both of whom have more wins than him so far this season. He came close to adding another one in a wild night at Daytona, but Jones managed to get the better of him in a narrow finish.

Next: Kyle Busch throws major shade at Stenhouse

Coverage of the Quaker State 400 begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with the green flag expected to wave around 7:46 p.m.

2018 Quaker State 400 starting grid for Kentucky Speedway

  1. Martin Truex Jr. – No. 78 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota
  2. Erik Jones – No. 20 Freightliner Toyota
  3. Kevin Harvick – No. 4 Busch Light Ford
  4. Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Discount Tire Ford
  5. Kyle Busch – No. 18 Snickers Intense Toyota
  6. Paul Menard – No. 21 Menards/Quaker State Ford
  7. Ryan Blaney – No. 12 DEX Imaging Ford
  8. Clint Bowyer – No. 14 Haas 30 Years of the VF1 Ford
  9. Kurt Busch – No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford
  10. Ryan Newman – No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet
  11. Daniel Suarez – No. 19 Arris Toyota
  12. Aric Almirola – No. 10 Smithfield Ford
  13. Austin Dillon – No. 3 AAA Chevrolet
  14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford
  15. Alex Bowman – No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet
  16. Chase Elliott – No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
  17. Matt Kenseth – No. 6 Performance Plus Motor Oil Ford
  18. Kyle Larson – No. 42 Credit One Bank Chevrolet
  19. Joey Logano – No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford
  20. Chris Buescher – No. 37 Gain Chevrolet
  21. William Byron – No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet
  22. Jamie McMurray – No. 1 Arctic Cat Chevrolet
  23. Michael McDowell – No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops/Roller Bites Ford
  24. David Ragan – No. 38 MDS Transport Ford
  25. Bubba Wallace – No. 43 Petty’s Garage/Medallion Bank Chevrolet
  26. AJ Allmendinger – No. 47 Kroger Click List Chevrolet
  27. Jimmie Johnson – No. 48 Lowe’s/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevrolet
  28. Ty Dillon – No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet
  29. Kasey Kahne – No. 95 Dark Matter presented by Ionomy Chevrolet
  30. Ross Chastain – No. 15 TBD Chevrolet
  31. Corey LaJoie – No. 72 Monarch Chevrolet
  32. JJ Yeley – No. 23 Steakhouse Elite Toyota
  33. Landon Cassill – No. 00 StarCom Fiber Chevrolet
  34. B.J. McLeod – No. 51 Prefund Capital Chevrolet
  35. Garrett Smithley – No. 99 Victory Lane Quick Oil Change Chevrolet
  36. Denny Hamlin – No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota
  37. Matt DiBenedetto – No. 32 Keen Parts/CorvetteParts.net Ford
  38. Jesse Little – No. 7 TBD Chevrolet
  39. Timmy Hill – No. 66 Crypto Crow Crypto Currency Toyota
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