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TALLADEGA, Ala. — Aric Almirola gave Stewart-Haas Racing a much-needed boost as Ford drivers swept the top three spots and seven of the top 10 in qualifying for Sunday's playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway. Almirola earned the sixth pole of his career with a lap of 181.656 mph in Saturday's qualifying session. SHR only qualified Kevin Harvick for this year's playoffs and Harvick, who is retiring at the end of the season, was eliminated at the end of the first round. Kyle Larson was the highest-qualifying playoff driver at fourth in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He was followed by six-time Talladega winner Brad Keselowski in an RFK Racing Ford. Ross Chastain, at 32nd, was the lowest-qualifying playoff driver.
