Aimee
Featuring three distinct corners and a shape that resembles a triangle, Pocono Raceway has a deserved reputation for not being kind to rookies. But Kyle Larson is no ordinary rookie, proving as much by winning the pole in qualifying Friday.
Posting a lap at 183.438 mph, Larson bested Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. It was the first official career pole for Larson, who turned 22 Thursday. He was awarded the No. 1 starting position for the April 26 race at Richmond International Raceway after qualifying was canceled due to rain and the field was determined by practice speeds.
“To get a pole here, my first ‘real’ pole, feels great,” Larson said. “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.”
Larson has drawn comparisons to Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart with all three having backgrounds in sprint car racing. Accordingly, he entered the season with high expectations and has delivered with four top-fives and nine top-10s in 20 starts. Though winless, Larson is ranked 12th in points and currently would qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
“Kyle Larson is a special individual, and talent like that comes around only every so often,” Gordon said Friday. “Because I am a huge fan of sprint cars and came from that background, to see what he’s done in a sprint car at such a young age, and to make it in the Cup Series at such a young age, to me he’s been pretty spectacular.”
