CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- Aric Almirola took the pole for the
Coca-Cola 600 with a lap of 192.940 mph Thursday night, giving
Richard Petty Motorsports a front-row sweep at Charlotte Motor
Speedway for NASCAR's longest race.
Teammate Marcus Ambrose was second at 191.598 in qualifying for the Sunday night race.
Petty won a Sprint Cup-record 123 poles during his career.
Almirola, gearing up for his first series race at Charlotte, and
Ambrose took advantage of cooler track conditions late in
qualifying. Jimmie Johnson, who won last week's All-Star race, was third, followed by Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer.
Kurt Busch will start at the back of the field after wrecking in
qualifying.
Danica Patrick qualified 43rd for her first Coca-Cola 600.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)