[3] During the first practice session, Kevin Harvick, for the Richard Childress Racing team, was quickest ahead of Jimmie Johnson in second and Brad Keselowski in third.
[4] Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers, Juan Pablo Montoya, Paul Menard, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top ten quickest drivers in the session.
[5] During qualifying, Dale Earnhardt Jr. clinched his twelfth career pole position,[6] with a record lap time of 29.406 seconds and a speed of 183.636 miles per hour (295.533 km/h).
[7] Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, Brian Vickers, and Juan Pablo Montoya completed the first ten positions on the grid.
This change in schedule prompted NASCAR to impose a competition caution on lap 30 ahead of the race to allow teams to check their tire wear and make adjustments.
David Gilliland blew a tire Kasey Kahne won the free pass, and the race restarted on lap 94.