After posting the fastest lap in the first practice on Friday, Casey Mears will start on the pole come Saturday night.

“It’s exciting,” Mears said of getting the pole “I think for our team, Germain Racing, it’s been a long couple of years. It’s been good, but the team has really grown in strides and we’ve made a lot of big improvements this year.”

He’ll be joined on the front row by Brad Keselowski.

“You know, Bristol is always about track position, but I have had cars here in the past where you could pass and get your way up to the front,” Keselowski said. “I’m not going to complain either way. I’m just happy to have a fast race car, and I think the Miller Lite Dodge is another fast race car coming to Bristol.”

Keselowski has won the two most recent Sprint Cup events at the track.

Starting third and fourth will be Greg Biffle and Joey Logano. Aric Almirola will start fifth and Jeff Burton sixth to make up row three on the starting grid.

Forty-seven cars were on the entry list with plans to attempt to qualify for 43 starting positions. Drivers who were shut out by the rain and will not race on Saturday include Joe Nemechek, Jason Leffler, Stephen Leicht and J.J. Yeley.

After some issues in practice, Danica Patrick was slowest in the Firday morning practice session, but by virtue of her No. 10 Tommy Baldwin Racing entry being in the top-35 in car owner points, Patrick will race on Saturday.

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The man who took over for Brian Vickers was released today after just 4 races driving the #83 Toyota. During that span, Mears had a best finish of 22nd, and wrecked his teammate, Scott Speed, on Sunday at Michigan.

This is the fourth major race team to release Mears in the past 5 years. Mears was released from Chip Ganassi Racing at the end of 2006 after 4 years with the team. He was at Hendrick Motorsports for 2 years, before being released and heading over to Richard Childress Racing. That stint lasted one season before Mears was left without a ride.

When Vickers went out for the season due to blood clots, Red Bull turned to Mears for help. But Mears struggled mightily in his four races with the team, and is again without a ride. One has to wonder now if Mears’ career is about over, seeing as he’s had little to no success with several of NASCAR’s biggest teams.

Reed Sorenson is expected to take the wheel of the #83 following Infineon.