Nascar Blog

I didn’t get to see qualifying yesterday, for some reason I have a hard time remembering it can be later or even re-broadcast later as it is usually run while I’m at work. Dale Jr laid down a lap at a blistering 192.761 mph, the fastest the COT has run since its inception, a 1 mile an hour faster than Gordon, who qualified in 5th position, but it only ended up making Jr 0.148 of a second faster than Gordon. Video of Jr’s lap is after the jump.

Earnhardt paced Friday’s qualifying session at the 1.54-mile race track with a lap at 192.716 mph, good enough to edge 2008 race winner Kyle Busch (192.280 mph) for the top spot. Juan Montoya (192.106 mph) qualified third, followed by Mark Martin (191.814 mph) and Jeff Gordon (191.774 mph).

The pole was Earnhardt’s second at Atlanta, the ninth of his career, his first since April 2008 at Texas and his third since September 2002 at Kansas. Tempering his elation at qualifying first, however, was the knowledge that Earnhardt is suffering through a winless streak that reached 60 races last week at Las Vegas.

“We’re just hungry, so hungry to do much better on Sunday,” said Earnhardt, who hasn’t won since June 2008 at Michigan. “We qualified well in Vegas [fourth], and we were pretty happy to put ourselves in the middle of the company; we were around up there in the top 10.

“To be able to do what we did [Friday night] means a lot to us, but we’re starving for a good finish and something like this to happen on Sunday for us — and that’s really all we can think about.” Source:

Here is how they qualified:
1 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Amp Energy / National Guard 192.761 28.761 Leader
2 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s 192.280 28.833 -0.072
3 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target 192.106 28.859 -0.098
4 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet HendrickCars.com / GoDaddy.com 191.814 28.903 -0.142
5 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet National Guard / DuPont 191.774 28.909 -0.148
6 9 Kasey Kahne Ford Budweiser 191.688 28.922 -0.161
7 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet Tornados 191.549 28.943 -0.182
8 19 Elliott Sadler Ford Hunt Brothers Pizza 191.436 28.960 -0.199
9 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 191.186 28.998 -0.237
10 99 Carl Edwards Ford Scotts 191.087 29.013 -0.252
11 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 191.054 29.018 -0.257
12 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Lance Snacks / Tom’s Snacks 190.935 29.036 -0.275
13 16 Greg Biffle Ford U.S. Census 190.850 29.049 -0.288
14 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Valvoline 190.791 29.058 -0.297
15 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Office Depot / Old Spice 190.692 29.073 -0.312
16 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools 190.640 29.081 -0.320
17 6 David Ragan Ford UPS 190.574 29.091 -0.330
18 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet BB&T 190.561 29.093 -0.332
19 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota NAPA Auto Parts 190.548 29.095 -0.334
20 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Office 190.424 29.114 -0.353
21 71 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet TaxSlayer.com 190.267 29.138 -0.377
22 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar 190.221 29.145 -0.384
23 98 Paul Menard Ford CertainTeed / Menards 189.987 29.181 -0.420
24 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 189.915 29.192 -0.431
25 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford Insignia / Best Buy 189.857 29.201 -0.440
26 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 189.798 29.210 -0.449
27 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports 189.590 29.242 -0.481
28 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge Mopar / FLO TV 189.571 29.245 -0.484
29 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot 189.189 29.304 -0.543
30 36 Mike Bliss Chevrolet Wave Energy Drink 189.144 29.311 -0.550
31 13 Max Papis Toyota GEICO 189.112 29.316 -0.555
32 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull 189.079 29.321 -0.560
33 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota FrontRowJoe.com 189.060 29.324 -0.563
34 21 Bill Elliott Ford Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center 189.021 29.330 -0.569
35 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 189.015 29.331 -0.570
36 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1 188.970 29.338 -0.577
37 38 David Gilliland Ford Charter Air Transport / Taco Bell 188.341 29.436 -0.675
38 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies 187.958 29.496 -0.735
39 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Warner Music Nashville / Blake Shelton 186.403 29.742 -0.981
40 34 Travis Kvapil Ford Long John Silver’s 185.430 29.898 -1.137
41 37 Kevin Conway Ford Extenze 184.812 29.998 -1.237
42 26 Boris Said Ford Sacred Power / Southern Pride Trucking 182.916 30.309 -1.548
43 55 Michael McDowell Toyota Prism Motorsports 188.758 29.371 -0.610

Did Not Qualify
44 09 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Phoenix Racing 188.066 29.479 -0.718
45 190 Casey Mears Chevrolet Juice Air Fre
sheners / SmellMyCar.com 187.678 29.540 -0.779
46 46 Terry Cook Dodge Whitney Motorsports 186.122 29.787 -1.026
(continue reading…)

Kurt Busch won the pole in Vegas with a record speed of 188.719, as a matter of fact, 18 drivers broke the old record. There is also some more good news for Busch and Jeff Gordon, who qualified second, two of the previous winners here won from the front row, and five of the 12 races were won from a starting spot in the top 10.

Jeff Gordon said he believed the big increase in qualifying speed was because of a new tire combination from Goodyear.

Here is Kurt’s qualifying run:

Here is Jeff Gordon’s qualifying run:

Here is how they qualified:
1 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 188.719 28.614 Leader
2 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Pepsi Max / DuPont 188.646 28.625 -0.011
3 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet Tornados 188.180 28.696 -0.082
4 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet National Guard / Amp Energy 188.173 28.697 -0.083
5 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s 188.153 28.700 -0.086
6 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot 187.611 28.783 -0.169
7 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M 187.598 28.785 -0.171
8 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet GoDaddy.com 187.500 28.800 -0.186
9 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Old Spice / Office Depot 186.942 28.886 -0.272
10 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target 186.793 28.909 -0.295
11 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Crown Royal 186.748 28.916 -0.302
12 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac / Kellogg’s 186.554 28.946 -0.332
13 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Cheerios / Hamburger Helper 186.548 28.947 -0.333
14 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1 186.445 28.963 -0.349
15 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota FrontRowJoe.com 186.355 28.977 -0.363
16 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge Penske Racing 186.245 28.994 -0.380
17 00 David Reutimann Toyota Tums 186.233 28.996 -0.382
18 6 David Ragan Ford UPS 186.188 29.003 -0.389
19 9 Kasey Kahne Ford Budweiser 185.995 29.033 -0.419
20 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools 185.963 29.038 -0.424
21 13 Max Papis Toyota GEICO 185.497 29.111 -0.497
22 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar 185.395 29.127 -0.513
23 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull 185.236 29.152 -0.538
24 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet McDonald’s 185.109 29.172 -0.558
25 34 Travis Kvapil Ford Long John Silver’s 185.058 29.180 -0.566
26 98 Paul Menard Ford Moen / Menards 184.773 29.225 -0.611
27 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Ground 184.615 29.250 -0.636
28 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies 184.590 29.254 -0.640
29 71 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet TaxSlayer.com 184.552 29.260 -0.646
30 36 Mike Bliss Chevrolet KimKardashian Fragrance / Sephora.com 184.540 29.262 -0.648
31 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 184.458 29.275 -0.661
32 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Kingsford / Scott Products 184.445 29.277 -0.663
33 55 Michael McDowell Toyota Prism Motorsports 184.439 29.278 -0.664
34 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Pennzoil Ultra 184.080 29.335 -0.721
35 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota NAPA Gold Filters 183.961 29.354 -0.740
36 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports 183.955 29.355 -0.741
37 19 Elliott Sadler Ford Stanley 183.467 29.433 -0.819
38 38 David Gilliland Ford Taco Bell 181.965 29.676 -1.062
39 37 Kevin Conway Ford Extenze 181.843 29.696 -1.082
40 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford Valvoline 181.026 29.830 -1.216
41 26 Boris Said Ford Sacred Power / Southern Pride Trucking 176.586 30.580 -1.966
42 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Monster Energy - - -
43 09 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Phoenix Racing 183.038 29.542 -0.928

Did Not Qualify
44 190 Casey Mears Chevrolet Keyed-Up Motorsports 182.248 29.630 -1.016
45 46 Terry Cook* Dodge Whitney Motorsports 180.705 29.883 -1.269

Just call him butter because he’s on a roll. I had a little doubt that they would continue their success after last week, and granted, just sitting on the pole doesn’t mean anything unless it helps you win, but, there’s an all Earnhardt Ganassi front row this week, with McMurray on the pole and Juan Montoya in second.

On Trackside after qualifying they attributed it to Earnhardt Ganassi finally getting the cars good at the end of the season, and now they are running, I believe they said ECR, Earnhardt Childress Racing, motors. Whatever they are doing, they are doing it right right now.

With a lap at 183.744 mph (39.185 seconds), McMurray edged Earnhardt Ganassi Racing teammate Juan Pablo Montoya (183.477 mph) for the top starting spot in Sunday’s Auto Club 500, the second points race of the Sprint Cup season.

Clint Bowyer qualified third at 183.127 mph, as cars powered by Earnhardt-Childress Racing engines grabbed the top three positions on the grid. Kasey Kahne (182.913 mph) was fourth in the No. 9 Ford, followed by Dave Blaney (182.908 mph).

Kevin Harvick (182.899 mph), Bowyer’s teammate at Richard Childress Racing, qualified sixth. Four-time defending Series champion Jimmie Johnson, eager to rebound from a 35th-place finish at Daytona, qualified seventh. Sam Hornish, Kyle Busch and Mark Martin claimed starting positions 8-10. Source: Daytona champ McMurray earns pole in California

Here is the video of Jamie’s pole run.

Here is how they qualified in California:
1 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 183.744 39.185 Leader
2 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target 183.477 39.242 -0.057
3 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Cheerios / Hamburger Helper 183.127 39.317 -0.132
4 9 Kasey Kahne Ford Budweiser / Team USA 182.913 39.363 -0.178
5 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports 182.908 39.364 -0.179
6 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 182.899 39.366 -0.181
7 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools 182.890 39.368 -0.183
8 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Auto Club 182.811 39.385 -0.200
9 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Interstate Batteries 182.788 39.390 -0.205
10 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet GoDaddy.com 182.741 39.400 -0.215
11 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 182.597 39.431 -0.246
12 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 182.292 39.497 -0.312
13 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull 182.195 39.518 -0.333
14 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar 182.085 39.542 -0.357
15 6 David Ragan Ford UPS 181.974 39.566 -0.381
16 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Old Spice / Office Depot 181.883 39.586 -0.401
17 36 Mike Bliss Chevrolet Wave Energy Drink 181.749 39.615 -0.430
18 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet Haas Automation 181.726 39.620 -0.435
19 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot 181.671 39.632 -0.447
20 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Crown Royal 181.502 39.669 -0.484
21 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge AAA Insurance 181.333 39.706 -0.521
22 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies 181.324 39.708 -0.523
23 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 181.314 39.710 -0.525
24 09 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Phoenix Racing 181.314 39.710 -0.525
25 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Freight 181.301 39.713 -0.528
26 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Armor All 181.228 39.729 -0.544
27 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Amp Energy Juice / National Guard 181.109 39.755 -0.570
28 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 181.055 39.767 -0.582
29 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford Best Buy 181.041 39.770 -0.585
30 55 Michael McDowell Toyota Prism Motorsports 180.895 39.802 -0.617
31 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac “You don’t know quack” 180.768 39.830 -0.645
32 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota NEMCO Motorsports 180.755 39.833 -0.648
33 71 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet TaxSlayer.com 180.587 39.870 -0.685
34 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota NAPA Auto Parts 180.523 39.884 -0.699
35 13 Max Papis Toyota GEICO 180.501 39.889 -0.704
36 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M 180.325 39.928 -0.743
37 98 Paul Menard Ford Energizer / Menards 180.081 39.982 -0.797
38 19 Elliott Sadler Ford Stanley 179.919 40.018 -0.833
39 190 Casey Mears Chevrolet Keyed-Up Motorsports 179.915 40.019 -0.834
41 34 Travis Kvapil Ford Long John Silver’s 178.975 40.229 -1.044
42 135 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet Tommy Baldwin Racing 178.940 40.237 -1.052
43 46 Terry Cook Dodge Whitney Motorsports 178.064 40.435 -1.250
44 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Warner Music Nashville / Whitney Duncan 176.302 40.839 -1.654
45 38 David Gilliland Ford Taco Bell 176.207 40.861 -1.676
46 26 Boris Said Ford Sacred Power / Southern Pride Trucking - - -

Here are some of the videos that have already been uploaded from today’s Gatorade Duel Races at Daytona.

They qualified the first two positions yesterday for the 2010 Daytona 500, and it’s an all Hendricks front row, again. The rest of the qualifying spots will be determined by the twin 125 races this coming week. As far as the times on this qualifying run go, Johnson was 7th and Gordon was 10th, so all of the Hendricks vehicles were running in the top 10. After looking like he was going to do well in the Bus Shootout, things are looking good for Gordon as well in the Daytona 500.

Three weeks ago, at a Fan Fest appearance at Daytona International Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke of a renewed spirit of cooperation at the Hendrick Motorsports shop shared by the No. 5 and No. 88 teams.

What Earnhardt termed a “change in culture” spurred by personnel moves within the shop was in full flower Saturday at Daytona.

Daytona 500 quals
Video: Martin races to pole
Video: Junior on front row
Results: Qualifying times
Lineup: Gatorade Duel 1
Lineup: Gatorade Duel 2
Mark Martin, who led the Sprint Cup Series with seven poles last year, added another to his resume, putting his No. 5 Chevy in the top starting spot for the Feb. 14 season-opening Daytona 500. Navigating the 2.5-mile superspeedway in 47.074 seconds (191.188 mph), Martin edged Earnhardt (190.913 mph) for the pole.

Those two drivers, who will start first and second in the 52nd running of NASCAR’s most prestigious race, are the only two who know their positions on the grid for the Valentine’s Day event. The starting order for the rest of the 43-car field won’t be determined until Thursday, with the running of the two Gatorade Duel 150-mile qualifying races. Source: Nascar.com

Here is how they qualified:
1 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet GoDaddy.com
2 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Amp Energy / National Guard
3 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army
4 21 Bill Elliott Ford Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center
5 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target
6 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite
7 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s
8 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Cheerios / Hamburger Helper
9 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s
10 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont
11 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Crown Royal
12 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1
13 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull
14 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Kroger Floral
15 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge Penske Racing
16 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota NEMCO Motorsports
17 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot
18 71 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet TaxSlayer.com
19 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker
20 151 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA Auto Parts
21 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Office Depot / Old Spice
22 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine
23 98 Paul Menard Ford Peak / Menards
24 6 David Ragan Ford UPS
25 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford Best Buy
26 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac
27 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Express
28 9 Kasey Kahne Ford Budweiser
29 36 Mike Bliss Chevrolet Wave Energy Drink
30 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil
31 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar
32 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Monster Energy
33 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota NAPA Auto Parts
34 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies
35 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull
36 19 Elliott Sadler Ford Stanley
37 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M
38 132 Reed Sorenson Toyota Dollar General
39 190 Casey Mears Chevrolet Keyed-Up Motorsports
40 13 Max Papis Toyota GEICO
41 49 David Gilliland Toyota Warner Music Nashville / Larry the Cable Guy
42 34 John Andretti Ford Window World Cares
43 197 Jeff Fuller Toyota FrontRowJoe.com
44 38 Robert Richardson Jr. Ford Mahindra Tractors
45 37 Travis Kvapil Ford Extenze
46 09 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Phoenix Racing
47 46 Terry Cook* Dodge Whitney Motorsports
48 26 Boris Said Ford Window World Cares
49 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports
50 55 Michael McDowell Toyota Prism Motorsports
51 175 Derrike Cope Dodge Asset Protect/Strutmasterspro.com
52 127 Kirk Shelmerdine Toyota Kirk Shelmerdine Racing
53 192 Mike Wallace Dodge K-Automotive Motorsports
54 157 Norm Benning Chevrolet Norm Benning Racing

Update:
Here is how they will start the Daytona 500:
1 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet GoDaddy.com
2 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Amp Energy/National Guard
3 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s
4 9 Kasey Kahne Ford Budweiser
5 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell/Pennzoil
6 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Office Depot/Old Spice
7 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s
8 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target
9 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Cheerios/Hamburger Helper
10 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite
11 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies
12 19 Elliott Sadler Ford Stanley
13 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops/Tracker
14 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota NAPA Auto Parts
15 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford Best Buy
16 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot
17 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army
18 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Kroger Floral
19 6 David Ragan Ford UPS
20 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine
21 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont
22 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull
23 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M
24 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Crown Royal
25 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Express
26 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge Penske Racing
27 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac
28 36 Mike Bliss Chevrolet Wave Energy Drink
29 55 Michael McDowell Toyota Prism Motorsports
30 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull
31 13 Max Papis Toyota GEICO
32 98 Paul Menard Ford Peak/Menards
33 34 John Andretti Ford Window World Cares
34 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Monster Energy
35 37 Travis Kvapil Ford Extenze
36 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1
37 38 Robert Richardson Jr. Ford Mahindra Tractors
38 26 Boris Said Ford Window World Cares
39 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar
40 21 Bill Elliott Ford Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center
41 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota NEMCO Motorsports
42 71 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet TaxSlayer.com
43 151 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA Auto Parts

Did Not Qualify
44 190 Casey Mears Chevrolet Keyed-Up Motorsports
45 127 Todd Bodine Toyota Kirk Shelmerdine Racing
46 49 David Gilliland Toyota Warner Music Nashville/Larry the Cable Guy
47 46 Terry Cook Dodge Whitney Motorsports
48 175 Derrike Cope Dodge Asset Protect/Strutmasterspro.com
49 09 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Phoenix Racing
50 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports
51 132 Reed Sorenson Toyota Dollar General
52 192 Mike Wallace Dodge K-Automotive Motorsports
53 157 Norm Benning Chevrolet Norm Benning Racing
54 197 Jeff Fuller Toyota FrontRowJoe.com

Here are some videos from the 2010 Daytona 500 qualifying.

I didn’t get to see any of the qualifying, as usual, but David Reutimann claimed the pole, his second, with a time of 28.344 running at 190.516 mph. Both Jeff Gordon, 2nd, and Matt Kenseth, 3rd, said they went through turns three and four easier than normal because of the wind, but “the Franchise” said they think things through more than he does, so he didn’t hold back in 3 and 4 and pulled down the best time.

Here is how they qualified:
1 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 190.516 28.344 Leader
2 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet National Guard GED Plus / DuPont 190.194 28.392 -0.048
3 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Dewalt 189.954 28.428 -0.084
4 6 David Ragan Ford UPS 189.934 28.431 -0.087
5 98 Paul Menard Ford Quaker State / Menards 189.907 28.435 -0.091
6 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 189.900 28.436 -0.092
7 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Old Spice / Office Depot 189.807 28.450 -0.106
8 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Interstate Batteries 189.427 28.507 -0.163
9 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s / Kobalt “Tough Tools for Cool Schools” 189.421 28.508 -0.164
10 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot 189.268 28.531 -0.187
11 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Clorox / Kingsford / Little Debbie 189.221 28.538 -0.194
12 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1 189.215 28.539 -0.195
13 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac 189.175 28.545 -0.201
14 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M 189.155 28.548 -0.204
15 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar 189.122 28.553 -0.209
16 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target 188.857 28.593 -0.249
17 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 188.831 28.597 -0.253
18 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 188.778 28.605 -0.261
19 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Cheerios / Hamburger Helper 188.772 28.606 -0.262
20 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Amp Energy / National Guard 188.745 28.610 -0.266
21 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army 188.626 28.628 -0.284
22 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Ground 188.541 28.641 -0.297
23 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Cheez-It / Carquest 188.515 28.645 -0.301
24 96 Bobby Labonte Ford Ask.com 188.469 28.652 -0.308
25 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge Super 8 188.298 28.678 -0.334
26 34 John Andretti Chevrolet MyAutoLoan.com 188.291 28.679 -0.335
27 09 Mike Bliss Dodge Miccosukee Resort & Gaming 188.009 28.722 -0.378
28 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 187.950 28.731 -0.387
29 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Jim Beam 187.898 28.739 -0.395
30 171 David Gilliland Chevrolet Capital Window 187.833 28.749 -0.405
31 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 187.682 28.772 -0.428
32 12 David Stremme Dodge Penske Racing 187.493 28.801 -0.457
33 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies 187.487 28.802 -0.458
34 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA 187.305 28.830 -0.486
35 07 Casey Mears Chevrolet Jack Daniel’s 187.279 28.834 -0.490
36 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Sears Auto Center / Valvoline 187.240 28.840 -0.496
37 21 Bill Elliott Ford Motorcraft 187.039 28.871 -0.527
38 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge McDonald’s 186.948 28.885 -0.541
39 113 Max Papis Toyota GEICO 186.496 28.955 -0.611
40 25 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet GoDaddy.com 186.355 28.977 -0.633
41 8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Guitar Hero 186.156 29.008 -0.664
42 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Best Buy 182.395 29.606 -1.262
43 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports 186.111 29.015 -0.671

Did Not Qualify
44 187 Joe Nemechek Toyota Huckleberry’s BBQ 186.034 29.027 -0.683
45 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull 185.790 29.065 -0.721
46 41 Jeremy Mayfield Toyota All Sport 185.344 29.135 -0.791
47 64 Todd Bodine Toyota Mambo Restaurants 184.546 29.261 -0.917
48 36 Scott Riggs Toyota Tommy Baldwin Racing 183.974 29.352 -1.008

The rainout of qualifying has put Jeff Gordon on the pole in Martinsville, his eighth there I believe, and one he could have had there if they qualified normally as this is one of his best tracks. This assures him of having the pest pit stall and gives him a little bit of an advantage as far as being the first out of the pits, which leads me to predict that Gordon will break the winless streak this weekend. (I know, big surprise.)

Here is how they will start:
1 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont
2 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite
3 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet BB&T
4 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s
5 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac
6 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser
7 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Old Spice / Office Depot
8 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Freight
9 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s
10 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Dewalt
11 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine
12 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil
13 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar
14 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull
15 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target
16 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge Charter Comm.
17 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Stanley Tools
18 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M
19 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet National Guard / Amp Energy
20 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker
21 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA
22 12 David Stremme Dodge Penske Racing
23 96 Bobby Labonte Ford Ask.com
24 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Little Debbie / Kingsford / Clorox
25 07 Casey Mears Chevrolet Jack Daniel’s
26 6 David Ragan Ford UPS
27 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army
28 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Irwin Industrial Tools
29 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge Charter Comm.
30 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Robby Gordon Motorsports
31 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Kellogg’s / Carquest
32 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1
33 34 John Andretti Chevrolet Taco Bell
34 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot
35 171 David Gilliland Chevrolet Capital Window
36 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull
37 8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Guitar Hero
38 98 Paul Menard Ford Energizer / Menards
39 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports
40 36 Scott Riggs Toyota Array Lighting / Nexxus Lighting
41 187 Joe Nemechek Toyota NEMCO Motorsports
42 41 Jeremy Mayfield Toyota All Sport
43 64 Todd Bodine Toyota Gunselman Motorsports

Did Not Qualify
44 09 Sterling Marlin Dodge Miccosukee Resort & Gaming
45 37 Tony Raines Chevrolet Long John Silver’s
46 146 Dennis Setzer Dodge Romeo Guest Construction
47 175 Derrike Cope Dodge FW1 Top Secret Wax / Blu Frog Energy / Flip n Bags

Mark Martin claimed his second pole in a row today, 8th pole at Bristol, running at a speed of 125.773 mph. Looks like he will turns things around this weekend, I bet he ends up with a top ten at least, and his teammate Jeff Gordon is going to break his winless streak this weekend with another win at Bristol. I didn’t get to see qualifying myself, so not much commentary as far as that goes.

After breaking a 257-race pole drought at Atlanta two weeks ago, Mark Martin topped his second consecutive Sprint Cup qualifying session, streaking around .533-mile Bristol Motor Speedway in 15.256 seconds (125.773 mph) Friday to win the pole for Sunday’s Food City 500.

Martin won back-to-back poles for the second time in his career, having claimed the top starting spot for the April 1989 races at Darlington and Bristol.

“It felt really, really good,” said the 50-year-driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, who edged Ryan Newman (125.740 mph) for the pole by .004 seconds. “The car was really fast and it was really comfortable.”

“With the things that have happened to us in the races, it was good to show people that we’ve still got speed in the car,” said Martin, who claimed the 43rd pole of his career. “We’ve got speed, and the other part will come around sooner or later.” Source: Martin edges Newman for second consecutive pole

If you had Scott Riggs or Jeremy Mayfield in your Nascar pool you are going to have a tougher weekend as both did not qualify for this race. And Tony Stewart and AJ Allmendinger have qualified on speed for every race so far this year, good thing since they had to. Scott Speed beat AJ Allmendinger in qualifying again, but is 161 points behind AJ in the points standings.

Here is how they qualified:
1 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Carquest / Kellogg’s 125.773 15.256 Leader
2 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army 125.741 15.260 -0.004
3 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s 125.453 15.295 -0.039
4 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M 125.289 15.315 -0.059
5 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 124.954 15.356 -0.100
6 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 124.808 15.374 -0.118
7 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge Paralyzed Veterans of America 124.541 15.407 -0.151
8 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Hyde Park Storage Suites 124.508 15.411 -0.155
9 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Crown Royal 124.492 15.413 -0.157
10 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 124.267 15.441 -0.185
11 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull 124.194 15.450 -0.194
12 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target 124.130 15.458 -0.202
13 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Little Debbie / Kingsford / Clorox 124.130 15.458 -0.202
14 171 David Gilliland Chevrolet Capital Window 123.946 15.481 -0.225
15 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Office Depot / Old Spice 123.897 15.487 -0.231
16 64 Todd Bodine Toyota Fred’s Hometown Discount Store 123.698 15.512 -0.256
17 28 Travis Kvapil Ford Golden Corral 123.658 15.517 -0.261
18 8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Champion Apparel 123.650 15.518 -0.262
19 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Snickers 123.626 15.521 -0.265
20 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 123.610 15.523 -0.267
21 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA 123.562 15.529 -0.273
22 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Best Buy 123.538 15.532 -0.276
23 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot 123.523 15.534 -0.278
24 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Express 123.491 15.538 -0.282
25 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1 123.427 15.546 -0.290
26 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge Charter Comm. 123.427 15.546 -0.290
27 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 123.372 15.553 -0.297
28 187 Joe Nemechek Toyota NEMCO Motorsports 123.324 15.559 -0.303
29 12 David Stremme Dodge Penske Racing 123.118 15.585 -0.329
30 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 123.071 15.591 -0.335
31 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet BB&T 123.032 15.596 -0.340
32 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 123.024 15.597 -0.341
33 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Dewalt 122.827 15.622 -0.366
34 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet National Guard / Amp Energy 122.725 15.635 -0.379
35 7 Robby Gordon Toyota SPOT 122.709 15.637 -0.381
36 96 Bobby Labonte Ford Academy Sports + Outdoors 122.654 15.644 -0.388
37 07 Casey Mears Chevrolet Jack Daniel’s 122.404 15.676 -0.420
38 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac 122.349 15.683 -0.427
39 34 John Andretti Chevrolet WindowWorld.com 122.248 15.696 -0.440
40 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar 121.952 15.734 -0.478
41 6 David Ragan Ford UPS 121.914 15.739 -0.483
42 98 Paul Menard Ford Johns Manville / Menards 121.898 15.741 -0.485
43 09 Sterling Marlin Dodge Phoenix Racing 123.189 15.576 -0.320

Did Not Qualify
44 36 Scott Riggs Toyota Array Lighting / Nexxus Lighting 122.193 15.703 -0.447
45 41 Jeremy Mayfield Toyota All Sport 122.162 15.707 -0.451

I didn’t get to watch qualifying this evening, although, I did just tune into the repeat on Speed, but it looks like Brian Vickers is continuing the strong performances this season claiming the pole in the second race, the Auto Club 500 in California.

The news story talking about it as Nascar.com says that Brian and Dale Jr. had a phone call after last weeks incident in Daytona and they have apparently put everything behind them. Vickers sais he had pretty much forgotten about it after the race in Daytona as he worries more about the mistakes he makes than he does other drivers.

“For me, it’s pretty easy,” Vickers said. “I don’t know if it’s the way I was raised, or my mentality or what. I don’t get mad very easily. Things can happen that will bother me, and I will keep that in the back of my mind and I will learn from those instances, and how I will handle those situations and people in the future. But in general, I don’t let other people affect my daily life.”

“I may make a decision or make a mistake that makes me mad, and I have a hard time letting that go,” Vickers said. “But I don’t let other people ruin my day. Honestly, I probably have the hardest time moving on when it’s a mistake on my part rather than a mistake on somebody else’s.” Source: Vickers puts Daytona crash behind him with pole run

Here is how they will start:
1 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 183.439 39.250 Leader
2 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools 183.164 39.309 -0.059
3 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Crown Royal 182.653 39.419 -0.169
4 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 182.556 39.440 -0.190
5 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M 182.302 39.495 -0.245
6 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 182.209 39.515 -0.265
7 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 182.089 39.541 -0.291
8 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge Charter Comm. 182.048 39.550 -0.300
9 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull 181.965 39.568 -0.318
10 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Interstate Batteries 181.919 39.578 -0.328
11 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Old Spice / Office Depot 181.901 39.582 -0.332
12 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Jim Beam 181.777 39.609 -0.359
13 6 David Ragan Ford UPS 181.726 39.620 -0.370
14 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Little Debbie / Kingsford / Clorox 181.653 39.636 -0.386
15 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target 181.616 39.644 -0.394
16 96 Bobby Labonte Ford Ask.com 181.461 39.678 -0.428
17 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge Charter Comm. 181.429 39.685 -0.435
18 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Carquest / Kellogg’s 181.264 39.721 -0.471
19 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 181.210 39.733 -0.483
20 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Best Buy 181.173 39.741 -0.491
21 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Cheerios / Hamburger Helper 181.137 39.749 -0.499
22 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 181.132 39.750 -0.500
23 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Freight 180.836 39.815 -0.565
24 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Carhartt 180.818 39.819 -0.569
25 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac 180.773 39.829 -0.579
26 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Auto Club 180.746 39.835 -0.585
27 98 Paul Menard Ford Quaker State / Menards 180.610 39.865 -0.615
28 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet Haas Automation 180.397 39.912 -0.662
29 07 Casey Mears Chevrolet Jack Daniel’s 180.374 39.917 -0.667
30 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports 180.320 39.929 -0.679
31 8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Guitar Hero 180.248 39.945 -0.695
32 171 David Gilliland Chevrolet TRG Motorsports 180.234 39.948 -0.698
33 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 180.176 39.961 -0.711
34 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot 180.059 39.987 -0.737
35 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Amp Energy / National Guard 179.991 40.002 -0.752
36 36 Scott Riggs Toyota Red Bank Outfitters 179.721 40.062 -0.812
37 28 Travis Kvapil Ford Farmers Insurance 179.632 40.082 -0.832
38 12 David Stremme Dodge Penske Racing 179.390 40.136 -0.886
39 41 Jeremy Mayfield Toyota All Sport 179.301 40.156 -0.906
40 34 John Andretti Chevrolet WindowWorld.com 179.287 40.159 -0.909
41 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar 179.109 40.199 -0.949
42 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA - - -
43 187 Joe Nemechek Toyota NEMCO Motorsports 177.997 40.450 -1.200

Did Not Qualify
44 64 Todd Bodine Toyota Gunselman Motorsports 177.454 40.574 -1.324
45 37 Tony Raines Dodge Long John Silver’s 177.405 40.585 -1.335
46 51 David Starr Dodge Allegro Marinade 177.122 40.650 -1.400
47 09 Sterling Marlin Dodge Phoenix Racing 175.328 41.066 -1.816
48 73 Mike Garvey Dodge Jani-King / Quality Concrete 175.897 40.933 -1.683