Joe Gibbs Racing, this season’s strongest team, placed three cars in the top six starting positions. Truex is allied to Gibbs. So when the green flag flies about 7:30 p.m. ET, four of the fastest cars on the track will carry the Toyota brand.

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Truex drives for one-car team Furniture Row Racing. Gibbs drivers Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin will start second and third, respectively. Kyle Busch goes off sixth, with Kurt Busch fourth and Talladega winner Brad Keselowski fifth.

Martin Truex Jr.: His real car is a bit bigger — and faster. (Getty Images)

The GoBowling.400 runs under the lights at Kansas. Defending champion Jimmie Johnson qualified 15th after his car had mechanical problems in Friday’s second practice session. Teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. goes off 22nd.

For Truex, runner-up to Hamlin in the Daytona 500, it is his first pole win since April 2012 at Texas.

“It feels good to get another pole. It’s been a long time. We’ve been really close with our Furniture Row team the past two years—we qualified second a handful of times—and we’ve been right there at it. We’ve led the first round, we’ve led the second round. We just haven’t quite figured out how to lead that third round …  

“Hopefully we’ll be able to finish the deal [Saturday] night.”

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Kenseth was fastest in each of the first two knockout rounds but came up short when the pole was decided.

“All of our Toyotas had a lot of speed in ’em,” Kenseth said. “I just couldn’t quite get that last lap that I wanted.

“We had a lot of speed, but we just got a little off our balance there at the end, and Martin was able to get it.”

The four Gibbs cars included Carl Edwards starting 12th. Four Fords were in the fastest dozen in Friday’s evening qualifying, but Chase Elliott in 13th was the fastest of the four Hendrick cars.

Saturday’s starting lineup (race broadcast by Fox Sports 1, MRN and SiriusXM.

— Contributing: Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service