Kyle Larson wins pole for Sonoma race

SONOMA - Fastest in practice and fastest in qualifying despite wheel-hopping into the hairpin Turn 11 at Sonoma Raceway.

That’s Kyle Larson’s weekend in a nutshell, so far.

Larson, a native of Elk Grove, continued his hot weekend at the Sonoma County road course by winning the pole position with the fastest lap in the final round of qualifying on Saturday.

He recorded the fastest time despite having some trouble in the final turn of the track on his fast lap.

He was trying to make up time from his “OK” run in the first round of qualifying.

“I was just going to try to make up a little bit everywhere. I got on the brakes deeper into 11 and just started wheel-hopping a little bit,” Larson said. “It messed my entry up, but I was able to just grab a handful of wheel, get pointed straight and get a good drive off. Yeah, I definitely messed up into 11, but I felt like we recovered ok off of 11.”

Larson’s team owner Chip Ganassi will happily take Saturday’s qualifying result - you can’t complain when both of your cars are on the front row, as Larson’s teammate Jamie McMurray will start second.

It is McMurray’s best qualifying position of the season.

He has started on the pole three times at Sonoma. McMurray felt that after beating Kyle Busch’s lap time that he’d likely be on the pole.

Larson wasn’t going to let that happen.

“He messed up Turn 11 but he had enough of a cushion to overcome it,” McMurray said of Larson’s run.

McMurray noted you don’t need to have the fastest car to win at Sonoma, citing the unexpected turn of events that usually takes place at the road course.

“You only need about a top-5 car to win,” he said.

In addition to the Ganassi cars another two-car team - JTG Daugherty Racing - had both of their entries qualify for the final qualifying group.

Both of their drivers will start in the top 10, with A.J. Allmendinger starting fifth and Chris Buescher ninth. Martin Truex Jr. will start third and Kyle Busch fourth to round out the top 5.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and rookie Daniel Suarez also made it to the final qualify group. Earnhardt will start what is likely his final race at Sonoma in 10th.

For Patrick, her qualifying effort will be her best starting position this season.

She’ll start sixth.

Second-year driver Ryan Blaney starts seventh. Chase Elliot qualified for the final group of 12 in a backup car.

He’ll be marked as starting eighth, but will officially start in the rear of the field.

Rookie Daniel Suarez will start 11th.

Among other notable qualifiers, defending series champion Jimmie Johnson will start 24th. Clint Bowyer, driving in what was previously defending race winner Tony Stewart’s No. 14 car, will start 13th. Denny Hamlin, who was knocked out of the way by Stewart in the hairpin turn in last year’s race will start 14th. Kevin Harvick starts 12th.

Several “road-course ringers” didn’t shine in qualifying, as none of them made it to the second round of qualifying, with the best effort from Billy Johnson, subbing for an injured Aric Almirola in the iconic No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford. He qualified 26th.