NASCAR Cup Series

Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Michael Baker International Chevrolet SS – Race Winner - TALK ABOUT THE PIT STRATEGY THAT STEVE LETARTE CALLED TO BRING YOU IN ON LAP 121 SO YOU COULD HAVE SUCH A QUICK STOP: “Yeah, he’s the guy you need to talk to."

He never cared to fly, and never had in his young 98 years of life, but this past week was different for Henry Jakes of Murfreesboro, Tenn. He was going to meet "The King" Richard Petty thanks to an offer from the Petty Family Foundation.

Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion, hit the wall during qualifying yesterday, but his crew repaired the right-rear of the car and he was eighth in the first practice session. Ford Racing caught up with Edwards to talk about his Fusion for tomorrow's race and preparations his team is making for the Chase.

Kyle Larson, the talented 22-year-old from Elk Grove, California, won the Coors Light Pole at Pocono Raceway on Friday, becoming the first graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity (D4D) initiative to win a pole in the sanctioning body’s top level. He will start first in Sunday’s GoBowling.com 400 (1 p.m. ET on ESPN, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

BRAD KESELOWSKI – No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion – “Third is a respectable effort. You certainly always want the pole, but we can be proud of where we’re at. I had to make a second run there in the second session, which probably took us away from having a legitimate shot to run with Kyle. He put up a heck of a lap and so did my teammate, Joey Logano, but it was a strong effort. Like I said, we can win from third and we’re happy with that so we’ll move on.”

Kyle Larson captured his first NASCAR Sprint Cup career pole position with a track record lap of 183.438-mph/49.063 seconds in his No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS for Sunday’s GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono raceway. The Rookie-of-the-Year contender bested the previous record of 181.415 mph/49.610 seconds around the 2.5-mile track set by Denny Hamlin in June 2014.

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M's Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - Starting Position: 7th - How was qualifying? "It was fine. I'm just glad we made it through all three sessions and got a good lap in there at the end. It felt like I should've been better but that's all it was."

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER “I thought it would be Joey (Logano) too. Those Penske cars are fast every weekend. To get a pole here, my first ‘real’ pole (Kyle started on the pole at Richmond when qualifying was rained out) feels great. To come to a ‘tricky triangle’ like this there is no other race track like it. It’s fun because you get to shift and hit your marks. It’s difficult so I’m glad I could win the pole it feels great. Hopefully, we can get our first career win this weekend too in the No. 42 Target Chevy.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER “I thought it would be Joey (Logano) too. Those Penske cars are fast every weekend. To get a pole here, my first ‘real’ pole (Kyle started on the pole at Richmond when qualifying was rained out) feels great. "

Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender and Drive4Diversity grad Kyle Larson scored his first career pole behind the wheel of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet at one of the most demanding tracks on the circuit, Pocono Raceway.