KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Carl Edwards doesn’t like sneaking up on people. He would rather have a big lead and let everyone else try to track him down.
Maybe that’s why he was so giddy over his qualifying run Friday.
The Chase co-leader turned a lap of 174.571 mph, putting him on the front row with Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle for Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway. Biffle had the fast lap at 174.887, giving Edwards an ally up front with Chase contenders Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth making up Row 2.
“This is the best I’ve ever qualified here, so I’m not going to be frustrated about it,” Edwards said. “I’m proud of our qualifying effort and pretty excited to have an all-Ford front row. That’s pretty neat. There’s a lot of pride for that in our shop.”
Busch will roll off third after a lap of 174.447 mph, and Kenseth will start fourth.
“I felt like the car had decent speed,” Busch said. “Starting up front is beneficial, getting a good pit selection is beneficial, so carry those things into Sunday. My next closest competitor for the Chase starts right in front of me, so other than that, we’re not worried who’s behind us.”
Bowyer makes switch.
Clint Bowyer signed a three-year contract to drive for Michael Waltrip Racing beginning in 2012.
Bowyer had spent the last six years driving Richard Childress cars sponsored by Jack Daniel’s and Cheerios — which sported the similar colors.
“It was a huge transition from Jack Daniel’s to Cheerios, as you can imagine,” Bowyer joked before unveiling the black and yellow No. 15 car at Kansas Speedway. “I can handle this one.”
