72% of Winners in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Started Inside the Top-10 in 2017

Champion Martin Truex Jr. Won Pole and Race at Kansas in October
(Photo-Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images-NASCAR Media)

When it came to qualifying this year, starting in the top-10 was crucial. Especially if you wanted to win. In the third and final installment of the 2017 Qualifying Report, we talk about how important qualifying really was this season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Kyle Busch won the most poles this season with eight
(Photo-Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images/NASCAR Media)

26 times this season the winner of the race qualified 10th or better. That comes to 72% this season. A total of six pole winners went on to win the race that weekend with Kyle Larson (Auto Club and Michigan), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Talladega 1), Kyle Busch (Pocono and New Hampshire 2), and Martin Truex Jr. (Kansas). Those drivers will join 10 other eligible drivers in "The Clash" at Daytona should the eligibility remain the same as this season.

Erik Jones earned his first career pole at Bristol in August.
(Photo-Jerry Markland/Getty Images/NASCAR Media)

The worst qualifying effort of any of the winners this season came at Texas in April when Jimmie Johnson started 24th. Ryan Newman and Austin Dillon both started 22nd en-route to their victories in the first Phoenix race and the Coca-Cola 600. Those three winners were the only drivers to start outside the top-20 this season and win.

2017 Champion Truex Jr. only won three poles this season, which was the only statistic box that Truex didn't have a career year in. Last season he won five which was the most of his career. His worst qualifying effort came in the 2017 Daytona 500 where he qualified 35th. In the season-finale at Homestead, he started second en-route to the victory.

Ryan Blaney and Erik Jones earned their first career poles this season. Blaney earned two poles this season (Kansas and Phoenix) while Jones only earned one (Bristol).

Toyota tallied the most poles this season with 16 poles. Ford earned 10 poles followed by Chevrolet with seven. Eight of Toyota's 16 poles came with Kyle Busch, who earned the most poles of any drivers this season. Kevin Harvick had the second most with four.

Qualifying was only canceled twice this season (Martinsville 1 and Bristol 1). Kyle Larson was the beneficiary of that both times but failed to earn a victory in either race, his best finish was at Bristol where he finished sixth.