The King is alive and well.
Kasey Kahne and Paul Menard, two Sprint Cup drivers who will be leaving Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of this season, qualified Friday for the top two positions for Sunday’s Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods at Kansas Speedway.
Two-time Kansas winner Jeff Gordon, the top qualifier among the 12 Chase for the Sprint Cup drivers, will start third in a Chevrolet, his seventh top 10 start at Kansas Speedway. Kansas City Star
“We needed a few adjustments for qualifying there, and the team did it perfect,” said Kahne, who finished 22nd in Friday’s lone practice at Kansas. “I ran very quick through [turns] one and two, and not as quick through three and four. Paul Menard was right there coming off of four, and he gained a lot. But it was still a great lap for our whole team…I’m glad we were able to win another pole. It’s been a little while.”
Kahne will drive an entry for Red Bull Racing next year before he takes over the wheel of Mark Martin’s No.5 car at Hendrick Motorsports in 2012.
Joey Logano and Greg Biffle rounded out the top-five.
Ryan Newman qualified sixth, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and David Ragan. MiamiHerald.com
POS CAR DRIVER MAKE 1 9 Kasey Kahne Ford 2 98 Paul Menard Ford 3 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 4 20 Joey Logano Toyota 5 16 Greg Biffle Ford 6 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 7 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 8 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 9 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 10 6 David Ragan Ford 11 21 Bill Elliott Ford 12 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 13 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 14 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 15 19 Elliott Sadler Ford 16 0 David Reutimann Toyota 17 9 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 18 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 19 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 20 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 21 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 22 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 23 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 24 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 25 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 26 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge 27 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 28 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 29 46 Michael McDowell Dodge 30 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 31 99 Carl Edwards Ford 32 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota 33 82 Scott Speed Toyota 34 83 Reed Sorenson Toyota 35 164 Landon Cassill Toyota 36 26 Patrick Carpentier Ford 37 13 Casey Mears Toyota 38 37 David Gilliland Ford 39 36 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 40 34 Travis Kvapil Ford 41 7 Kevin Conway+* Toyota 42 71 Tony Raines+ Chevrolet 43 38 Dave Blaney Ford
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