NASCAR Cup Series

Mission statement: Keselowski sends message by winning NHMS pole

Published Sep. 19, 2014 5:35 p.m. ET

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There is no doubt Brad Keselowski is on a mission to make a statement in the early rounds of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

The Team Penske driver dominated the final race of the regular season at Richmond, and followed it up with a dramatic win last week at Chicagoland Speedway in the Chase opener.

Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Keselowski continued his dominance, posting the fastest lap of the qualifying with a lap of 27.090 seconds at 140.598 mph to win the pole for Sunday's Sylvania 300.

This marked the 12th front row start and the fifth time Keselowski has started on the pole in 2014. The driver of the No. 2 Ford was able to score wins from the pole at Kentucky and Richmond earlier in the year. Keselowski has started third or better in 16 of the 28 races so far this season, or 57 percent of the time.

"I'm trying not to get caught up in statements, I'm trying to just go out there and do our job," said Keselowski. "This Penske team has done phenomenal this season, so it's great to keep it rolling. Loudon's always been one of my favorite tracks, we've had a couple poles here before, but this one is a little extra special with everything that's going on and going through the Chase and whatnot."

Non-Chase driver Jamie McMurray will start second to Keselowski on Sunday, followed by Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Kyle Larson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Brian Vickers.

Denny Hamlin set the pace early in the final round of knockout qualifying, putting up a lap at 27.253 seconds at 139.757 mph, besting Keselowski's record setting lap from the day's first session.

Hamlin's lap did not last long as McMurray bested Hamlin's lap by posting a lap of 27.121 seconds at 140.437 mph.

McMurray's run at the top of the charts lasted ever shorter, as Keselowski made the next lap on the track and put the No. 2 in its familiar spot atop the leaderboard.

For McMurray, he was confident his qualifying lap was going to be enough to take the pole.

"It was really close," said McMurray. "When I was going down the backstretch Keith (Rodden, crew chief), said I ran a 27.12 and I'm like, 'Whew, I don't know if anyone is going to be able to beat that based off what the guys in front of me had done.' So, I was pretty pumped up, came down pit road over here and I looked at the scoreboard and saw Brad go by. I thought, 'It'll be interesting to see what he runs, because he's been the fastest car,' and he bumps me off. That was a little deflating."

Rookie Kyle Larson showed speed in Friday's opening practice and was able to advance into the final round of qualifying, but his first lap in Round 2 did not go according to plan. Larson locked up the rear tires on the No. 42 Chevrolet as he entered Turn 3, sending the car up the hill. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver made slight contact with the outside wall and will start Sunday's race from the 10th spot.

Jimmie Johnson was the first driver to break the track record early in the first round of qualifying, posting a lap of 27.487 seconds at a speed of 138.567 mph. However, Johnson's fast lap would not last long, as it was topped by a number of drivers including Keselowski who also posted the fastest lap of the opening session.

Keselowski's lap of 27.281 seconds at 139.614 mph was enough to put him atop the leaderboard in the first session with a new track record.

In the closing minutes of the 30-minute session, Johnson was able to jump back into the top 12 to secure his spot in the final round. Keselowski's teammate Joey Logano was also able to use a late-session run to jump to eighth on the charts to move into Round 2, which bumped Jeff Gordon from the top 12.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to hold on to the final transfer spot in 12th, beating Gordon by 0.008 seconds.

Gordon led the charge of Chase drivers starting outside the top 12, followed by Kurt Busch in 15th, Matt Kenseth in 16th, Kasey Kahne in 17th, Aric Almirola in 21st, Greg Biffle in 26th, and A.J. Allmendinger the slowest of the Chase drivers in 27th.

With only 43 cars on the entry list, no driver failed to make the starting grid for Sunday's Sylvania 300.  

VIDEO: A look back at Brad Keselowski's win at New Hampshire earlier this season

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