Keselowski, who also topped Friday’s practice, recorded a speed of 196.929 mph in the final round of qualifying at the 1.5-mile track. His speed was well ahead of Kevin Harvick, who clocked in at 195.993 mph.
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“It is a good start and it gets us up front with a great pit stall and hopefully we can make the most of it,” Keselowski told NBC Sports after the race. “I am pumped about this race. Track position is important everywhere and here isn’t as much as maybe a few others because the track wears out and you see some comers and goers with the way the track wears out but we will still take it.”
Keselowski is in perfect position to make up for his performance at Martinsville, which left him 24 points below the cutoff line for a spot in the championship round that will be decided after next week’s race at Phoenix.
Erik Jones, who replaced Matt Kenseth in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Toyota after Kenseth was suspended two races for intentionally wrecking Joey Logano, will start Sunday’s race from the sixth position.
It will be a busy weekend for Jones, 19, who will also race in Friday’s Truck Series race and Saturday’s Xfinity Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge.
Seeking his sixth win at Texas, Jimmie Johnson will roll off from the eighth spot, while his teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., will start 10th.
The Chase driver with the most work cut out for himself is Martin Truex Jr. The No. 78 driver will start 23rd as he looks for his 10th top-10 finish at Texas.
Starting lineup for the AAA 500 (334 laps, 501 miles); Chase drivers in bold:
Keselowski Harvick Kyle Busch Logano Kyle Larson Jones Kurt Busch Johnson Denny Hamlin Earnhardt Danica Patrick Greg Biffle Carl Edwards Clint Bowyer David Ragan Kasey Kahne Casey Mears Jeff Gordon Ryan Newman Paul Menard Brian Scott Tony Stewart Truex Aric Almirola Ryan Blaney Austin Dillon Jamie McMurray Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Trevor Bayne AJ Allmendinger Alex Bowman Sam Hornish Jr. Michael McDowell J. J. Yeley Brett Moffitt Landon Cassill Michael Annett Matt DiBenedetto Cole Whitt Jeb Burton David Gilliland Ryan Preece Justin Allgaier
Joey Gase and Reed Sorenson failed to qualify.
