Kenseth will start from pole

The opening round in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship won’t decide the NASCAR champion.

What it could do, though, is separate the contenders from the pretenders.

“It’s so important not to have a bad day in that first race,” five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson said. “We’ll have a pretty good idea of who will be strong and who won’t right out of the gate.”

The 10-race Chase opens today at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., with Matt Kenseth, ranked fourth in the 12-driver field, starting from the pole. It’s a prime piece of real estate considering track position is so critical these days.

With more and more passing done on pit road as opposed to the actual race track, Kenseth will be blessed with the best pit stall and, at least at the start of the race, no traffic as he attempts to open the Chase with a victory.

“I think it is always important and starting up front and having a good pit stall is nice,” Kenseth said. “Hopefully, you get a good start and get bonus points and try to keep up with the track a little better.”

Kenseth had the fastest qualifying lap with a speed of 183.243 mph in his Roush Fenway Racing Ford. It easily held off Paul Menard, who turned a lap at 183.125 in a Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, and Kurt Busch, who qualified third at 183.032 in a Penske Racing Dodge.

It’s just the sixth pole in 12 full seasons for Kenseth, and second this year.

“My cars have just been fast and driving really good,” Kenseth said. “I have always tried really hard. I have probably done a little better job at not overdriving the car.”

Keselowski wins

Brad Keselowski used a dominating run to win the Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.

Keselowski capitalized on Carl Edwards running out of gas on pit road to grab a sizable lead that was never challenged. He beat Edwards to the finish line by 8.568 seconds for his third victory of the season.

It was the first win for the defending Nationwide champion since his July victory at Indianapolis. He broke his ankle in a crash while testing at Road Atlanta four days after that win, and sat out three scheduled races as he healed.

NASCAR clears Menard

NASCAR has found no evidence that Paul Menard intentionally spun to cause the final caution at Richmond.

NASCAR president Mike Helton said that he reviewed radio transmissions between Menard and his Richard Childress Racing team from last week’s race and found “nothing conclusive” to indicate Menard spun on purpose.

The issue has swirled since Jeff Gordon said the timing of the caution was “a little fishy.”

Gordon was leading Kevin Harvick when Menard spun with 16 laps to go. The drivers pitted during the ensuing caution, and Harvick was first out of the pits to take the lead.

He pulled away on the restart four laps later and won the race, a victory that made him the co-points leader with Kyle Busch headed into today’s opening race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Gordon trails Busch and Harvick in the standings by three points.