Kvapil's first pole in 100 attempts came after the Ford driver rounded the 2.66-mile oval in 51.109 seconds (187.364 mph).

"I'm just really proud of everybody at Yates Racing," Kvapil said. "This is a brand-new car. It rolled off the truck, and its first lap was yesterday and it was fast."

Yates drivers have won four poles at Talladega in the last five years there. Elliott Sadler grabbed the top starting spot for Yates in the fall race at Talladega in 2003 and 2005 and David Gilliland got the pole for the fall event there two years ago.

Casey Mears earned the outside pole with a qualifying time of 51.128. Teammates Aric Almirola (51.136) and Regan Smith (51.159) will start on the second row.