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Sports

Logano grabs pole for Homestead, Keselowski qualifies third

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Homestead, FL – Joey Logano won the pole for the season- ending Sprint Cup Series race, while points leader Brad Keselowski qualified third on Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Logano, who is making his last start in the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, turned a lap at 176.056 mph. He was quickest in practice earlier in the day and therefore the last driver to make a qualifying run in the 47-car field. After the season concludes, Logano is leaving JGR and moving over to Penske Racing, where he will team with Keselowski in 2013.

The 22-year-old Logano claimed his second pole of the season and fifth of his Sprint Cup career.

"We were good in practice, and they (No. 20 team) made the right adjustments for us to make sure it was good when the sun went down," Logano said. "They did their part, and I did my part, and it came out perfect. I appreciate it. My last run with them, so it's awesome to get a pole for them again."

Jimmie Johnson, who currently trails Keselowski by 20 points, qualified 10th with a lap at 174.081 mph. Keselowski and Johnson are the only drivers who remain eligible for the Sprint Cup championship.

"We always want to be better, and we always want to be faster, but it was a solid, respectable qualifying lap," Johnson said.

Keselowski will clinch his first Sprint Cup championship as well as the first title for team owner Roger Penske in NASCAR's premier series if Keselowski finishes 15th or better at Homestead, regardless of Johnson's performance here. He can also be guaranteed the title if he finishes 16th and leads at least one lap or places 17th after leading the most laps.

"I totally expected (Johnson) to out-qualify us, to be quite honest," said Keselowski, who posted a lap at 175.092 mph. "I was going to be fine with that. At least we were prepared for the worst. That's not what happened, so I guess we're okay."

Marcos Ambrose secured the outside pole with a lap at 175.342 mph. Carl Edwards and Aric Almirola rounded out the top-five.

Clint Bowyer qualified sixth, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Mark Martin.

Reed Sorenson, Stephen Leicht, Jason Leffler and Joe Nemechek failed to qualify for Sunday's 400-mile race, which is scheduled to start just after 3 p.m. (ET).