In only his second time behind the wheel of Roush Fenway’s flagship No 6 Ford Fusion, Matt Kenseth bested the field of all-stars to win the pole for Saturday night’s NASCAR All-Star event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was second fastest and will start beside Kenseth on the front row of tomorrow night’s 80-lap All-Star event.
“Having both cars on the front row is a tribute to these guys,” said Kenseth, who won the 2004 All-Star race in Roush Fenway’s No. 17 Ford. “This was really more about the car and the team and of course the Roush Yates engines are great.”
Running a special #DoYouKnowJack paint shame paying tribute to the 20th Anniversary of Jack Roush and Mark Martin’s 1998 All-Star win, Kenseth looked right at home in the No. 6 posting a time of 127.644 in the special qualifying format that features two laps and a pit stop.
“The guys brought a fast car and they were great on pit road,” added Kenseth. “Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.) was a huge help with the breaking zones and input on the laps, since we didn’t get any practice today with the rain. It’s great to be on front row with Ricky and looking forward to the race tomorrow.”
“It’s great having an all-Roush front row,” added Stenhouse. “It’s just a week into it, but Matt’s already been a great help to the team. I’m really looking forward to getting back out here and racing tomorrow night from the front.”
It marks the third (2002 and 2007) All-Star pole for Kenseth, who will make his 18th consecutive start in the NASCAR All-Star race on Saturday.
Roush Fenway has won the All-Star event on four occasions; the 2004 victory with Kenseth and wins by Martin in 1998 and 2005. Carl Edwards earned Jack Roush’s fourth All-Star win in 2011.
RFR PR/Photo Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
