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Rain has cancelled qualifying at Dover, with Kevin Harvick’s fastest practice time earning him the pole position.
With rain forecast, Harvick went out in qualifying trim and set what would be the benchmark time ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“I think (the weather) definitely changes the approach,” said Harvick. “That’s what the forecast looked like all week, and we just decided to come in qualifying trim.
“(Crew chief) Rodney (Childers) and those guys made that decision pretty early — I’d say about midweek — to practice that way.”
Harvick posted a lap at 265.779km/h (165.147 mph), which would have supplanted Brad Keselowski’s 2014 qualifying record of 264.647km/h (164.444 mph), had it been set during time trials. However, practice times are not eligible for official track records.
Despite having crew chief Adam Stevens serving a one-race suspension, Kyle Busch will start from third alongside Carl Edwards.
The big dramas in practice occurred when Danica Patrick had a differential failure while spewed oil onto the track. She crashed along with her team-mate/owner Tony Stewart and Jamie McMurray. All will use back-up cars for the race.
VIDEO: Harvick speaks after being awarded pole
STARTING LINE-UP: AAA Drive for Autism – Dover International Speedway