Harvick wins Richmond Nationwide pole, Pastrana qualifies 25th
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kevin Harvick edged fellow Sprint Cup Series competitor and Virginia-native Denny Hamlin in Friday's qualifying to take the pole for the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Raceway.
Harvick turned a lap at 124.625 mph, which was only 0.003 seconds faster than Hamlin's qualifying lap. He earned his 24th career Nationwide pole, including his second at this 0.75-mile racetrack.
Hamlin, who hails from nearby Chesterfield, is the defending race winner.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rookies Austin Dillon and Cole Whitt qualified third and fourth, respectively, while Sprint Cup regular Kasey Kahne took the fifth spot.
Travis Pastrana will start 25th in what will be his long-awaited first Nationwide race. Pastrana, a worldwide action sports icon, is scheduled for at least seven races in NASCAR's second-tier series this season, driving the No. 99 Toyota for RAB Racing.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the defending Nationwide champion, qualified sixth, followed by Elliott Sadler, the current points leader, and Ryan Blaney, who is also making his series debut in this race. Blaney is the 18-year-old son of NASCAR veteran Dave Blaney.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch completed the top-10.
Danica Patrick will start 16th.
Scott Riggs was the only driver who failed to qualify for Friday's 250-lap race at Richmond, which is scheduled to start just after 7:30 p.m. (ET).