NASCAR Phoenix Starting Lineup: Tony Stewart Qualifies One Position Ahead Of Carl Edwards

Tony Stewart trumped Carl Edwards by one spot in the most important qualifying session of the season, but neither of the top two Chase contenders could best Edwards' teammate Matt Kenseth.

Kenseth took the pole position for Sunday's penultimate Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway, posting an average speed of 137.101 mph to take his third pole of the season.

Stewart, meanwhile, qualified eighth and will start one position ahead of Edwards (ninth), who is the Chase leader by three points.

The qualifying session was crucial for Edwards and Stewart because Phoenix figures to be a track position game with very little passing. The new surface at Phoenix is proving to be treacherous for drivers, who haven't been able to find an outside groove yet.

Stewart will be stuck starting the race on the outside lane, and may have to hope someone like Chevrolet teammate Paul Menard (11th) lets him in line.

Richard Petty Motorsports teammates AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose rounded out the top three spots.

1. Matt Kenseth
2. AJ Allmendinger
3. Marcos Ambrose
4. Mark Martin
5. Martin Truex Jr.
6. Jamie McMurray
7. David Reutimann
8. Tony Stewart
9. Carl Edwards
10. Kasey Kahne
11. Paul Menard
12. Brad Keselowski
13. David Ragan
14. Jeff Burton
15. Regan Smith
16. Jimmie Johnson
17. Kurt Busch
18. Brian Vickers
19. Cole Whitt
20. Robby Gordon
21. Landon Cassill
22. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
23. Jeff Gordon
24. Scott Speed
25. Joey Logano
26. Juan Pablo Montoya
27. Kevin Harvick
28. Clint Bowyer
29. Greg Biffle
30. Ryan Newman
31. Bobby Labonte
32. Joe Nemechek
33. Denny Hamlin
34. Kyle Busch
35. Michael McDowell
36. Mike Skinner
37. Travis Kvapil
38. Casey Mears
39. Dave Blaney
40. Mike Bliss
41. Geoff Bodine
42. JJ Yeley
43. David Gilliland