Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. on front row at Talladega
Yeah, Talladega qualifying is pretty meaningless. But Ricky Stenhouse Jr. gets to say he’s a pole winner in 2017.
Stenhouse posted the fastest lap in the second round of qualifying on Saturday for Sunday’s race at Talladega. He’ll start first, followed by none other than Dale Earnhardt Jr. It’s the highest starting position of the year for Earnhardt, who is retiring after the end of the 2017 season.
Junior — Earnhardt Jr. — has six wins at Talladega, including four straight from 2001-03. His last win came two years ago in the spring race at the track. Fans watching on television will undoubtedly hear the roar of the crowd when Junior takes the lead early on Sunday.
Here’s the starting lineup:
1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Brad Keselowski
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Trevor Bayne
6. Kevin Harvick
7. Daniel Suarez
8. Chase Elliott
9. Paul Menard
10. Kyle Busch
11. Denny Hamlin
12. Joey Logano
13. Martin Truex Jr.
14. Erik Jones
15. Kurt Busch
16. Ryan Blaney
17. Clint Bowyer
18. Austin Dillon
19. Kasey Kahne
20. Ryan Newman
21. Kyle Larson
22. Aric Almirola
23. Jamie McMurray
24. Michael McDowell
25. Landon Cassill
26. Matt DiBenedetto
27. AJ Allmendinger
28. Ty Dillon
29. David Ragan
30. Jimmie Johnson
31. Danica Patrick
32. Brendan Gaughan
33. Reed Sorenson
34. Chris Buescher
35. Elliott Sadler
36. Corey LaJoie
37. Gray Gaulding
38. Cole Whitt
39. Joey Gase
40. Jeffrey Earnhardt
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
