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Tag: Pole Award

  • Bowyer notches fourth career Cup Series pole at Auto Club Speedway

    Bowyer notches fourth career Cup Series pole at Auto Club Speedway

    With a time of 40.086 seconds and a speed of 179.614 mph, Kansas native Clint Bowyer qualified on the pole for this Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Raceway. Bowyer narrowly edged out fan-favorite Jimmie Johnson for the pole by 0.007 seconds. However, the qualifying run surprised the Stewart-Haas Racing driver.

    “Certainly that is where you want to be,” Bowyer said. “Honestly, I didn’t really see that in the car. We didn’t run a qualifying lap yesterday. We made some changes in happy hour and the car kind of woke up and showed some speed but honestly, we were kind of focused on downforce and doing what we needed to do in traffic.”

    “That being said, that thing rocketed to the top there and he told me the lap time and I was like, ‘Damn, I think that is on the pole.’ Again, the sun was coming out and that changed the qualifying day quite a bit as the sun came out and it was right before us. I was watching the Gibbs cars go and you could see on SMT with the data we have now you can visibly see everyone starting to really jerk on the wheel in the middle of one and two and get loose. I was like, ‘Oh damn, here I go. I am fixing to see the same thing.’ Sure enough, I got in there and she just kind of slid in the slot and I didn’t have to chase it up the track.”

    “I just gave it one big catch and it pointed and shot off the corner and I was able to keep the throttle down. Then you see the 48 car, the last car out, the story of his last race at home. I figured there was no way we were going to win. I was better coming to the green and then better through one and two but then all of a sudden off of two he had a really good run and got ahead of me into three and four. Honestly, he was ahead of me off of four even, but I just pulled it down just a little bit more than he did down the front straightaway and just barely got him. That is what qualifying is all about with this product where you are all but wide open. It comes down to your balance and how the car is trimmed out and things like that. It makes it interesting and nerve-wracking as well because it is all so close.”

    For now, this will be Jimmie Johnson’s last race at his hometown racetrack in Southern California. The California native just almost knocked out Bowyer for the pole but had to settle for second. Despite not getting the pole, Sunday’s race will be just as special for Johnson, as his kids will get to wave the green flag to start the race.

    “It will be super special,” Johnson said. “I wish we were one spot further ahead and clearly off turn four there I ran a little more distance to the start-finish. It is such a fine balance to try to understand how much you can open up and let the engine run. Clearly I did too much, but that’s just the competitor in me. Very special weekend for me and I can’t wait to see my girls up in the flag stand waving the green flag.”

    There was more qualifying news as both Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr. failed inspection. Busch failed twice and was still able to do a qualifying lap, while Truex failed three times and did not get to post a lap. Both Busch and Truex will be starting from the rear tomorrow.

    Tomorrow’s race can be seen on FOX with a start time of 3:30 p.m. ET.

    Starting lineup:

    1. Clint Bowyer
    2. Jimmie Johnson
    3. Alex Bowman
    4. Kurt Busch, will start in the rear
    5. Kevin Harvick
    6. Aric Almirola
    7. Joey Logano
    8. Michael McDowell
    9. Kyle Larson
    10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    11. Chris Buescher
    12. Matt DiBenedetto
    13. Chase Elliott
    14. Bubba Wallace
    15. Brad Keselowski
    16. Ryan Blaney
    17. Kyle Busch
    18. Cole Custer
    19. Tyler Reddick
    20. Ryan Preece
    21. William Byron
    22. Christopher Bell
    23. John Hunter Nemechek
    24. Ty Dillon
    25. Austin Dillon
    26. Corey LaJoie
    27. Ross Chastain
    28. Denny Hamlin
    29. Erik Jones
    30. J.J. Yeley
    31. Daniel Suarez
    32. Brennan Poole
    33. Reed Sorenson
    34. Joey Gase
    35. Quin Houff
    36. Garrett Smithley
    37. Timmy Hill
    38. Martin Truex Jr. – did not make a qualifying run due to inspection failures

  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wins Daytona 500 pole in debut with JTG Daugherty Racing

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wins Daytona 500 pole in debut with JTG Daugherty Racing

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. set the pace at Daytona International Speedway Sunday afternoon, earning the pole for the Daytona 500 with a 194.582 mph lap in the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet.

    It was the third pole for the team, their first at an oval track and an auspicious beginning for Stenhouse who was released from Roush Fenway Racing at the end of the 2019 season.

    When asked if he felt he had something to prove, Stenhouse said, “I think there’s a handful of us that feel like we have something to prove. And two of those are in my corner with me at JTG Daugherty Racing with Mike (Kelley) and Brian (Pattie). I know that I feel like I can still get the job done behind the wheel and win races like we did in the Xfinity Series, and I know Brian believes in what the JTG Daugherty ‑‑ their resources that they have at the race shop, the engines, the Chevys.”

    On the significance of winning the pole, he continued, “Yeah, it’s huge. Any time you can start the season off, your first race with an organization, and to see all the work that they’ve put in; guys at the shop that I didn’t even know were working Saturdays and late nights all for the benefit of me to come down here and jump in this car and run fast. Touring the Hendrick engine shop, they were pumped-up for me to switch over into their horsepower. So, this goes to a lot of people that work hard behind the scenes for me to come out here and drive. It’s a cool way to start Speedweeks.”

    Alex Bowman will start in second after posting a lap at 194.363 mph (46.305 seconds).

    “I think we’re going to have a great race car in the race,” Bowman said. “Our Clash car has been driving really well, as well. Just excited to be back here with the new Camaro body. I think that’s going to be really great for us, and the Valvoline car looks really cool, so it’s been a good weekend so far.”

    Chase Elliott, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola, William Byron, Christopher Bell and Erik Jones rounded out the top 10 in qualifying.

    Only the first two starting positions were set in qualifying with the remainder of the field competing for the remaining spots next Thursday in the Bluegreen Vacation Duels.

    There are two separate Duel races consisting of 60 laps each. The race lineup for each Duel was determined by the qualifying speeds set today. Drivers who qualified in odd number positions will compete in Duel 1 while those in even-finishing positions will race in Duel 2.

    The winner of Duel 1 will begin the Daytona 500 in third place and the second-place finisher will start in fifth continuing this pattern to set the inside row. The winner of Duel 2 will start in fourth place with the second-place finisher in sixth continuing on to set the outside row.

    The 62nd annual Daytona 500 will air Sunday, Feb. 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

  • Michael Self claims pole for ARCA season opener at Daytona

    Michael Self claims pole for ARCA season opener at Daytona

    Michael Self, with a lap time of 49.43, qualified on the pole for today’s ARCA Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona International Speedway. The Daytona pole is the first time that Self qualified first at Daytona and the first time since the No. 25 Venturini Motorsports car qualified on the front row since 2018 when Natalie Decker accomplished that feat.

    “Probably up until last year, qualifying was a bit of a sour point for me because I always have such bad qualifying results,” Self said. “But we kind of squashed that last year […] to get it here at Daytona International Speedway, it’s really special for Sinclair Oil, Venturini Motorsports and Toyota.”

    Self, however, is no stranger to qualifying on the pole at superspeedways. In fact, his first career pole came at Talladega in 2018, where the Utah native qualified first and finished third after leading 21 laps. Despite the small success at superspeedways, Self has yet to win a race at Daytona or Talladega, but today may be the day he crosses that off the list.

    Andy Seuss, Dave Mader III, Jason White, Drew Dollar, Riley Herbst, Hailie Deegan, Connor Hall, David Gravel and Dominique Van Wieringen completed the top-10 starters at Daytona.

    The Lucas Oil 200 goes green today at 4:30 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1.

    Official Starting Line Up

    1. Michael Self
    2. Andy Seuss
    3. Dave Mader III
    4. Jason White
    5. Drew Dollar
    6. Riley Herbst
    7. Hailie Deegan
    8. Connor Hall
    9. David Gravel
    10. Dominique Van Wieringen
    11. Tanner Gray
    12. Jacob Heafner
    13. Ryan Repko
    14. Gus Dean
    15. Jason Kitzmiller
    16. J.J. Pack
    17. Chuck Hiers
    18. Bret Holmes
    19. Natalie Decker
    20. Sean Corr
    21. Willie Mullins
    22. Thomas Praytor
    23. Scott Melton
    24. John Ferrier
    25. Benny Chastain
    26. Eric Caudell
    27. Tim Richmond
    28. Scott Reeves
    29. Brad Smith
    30. Ryan Huff
    31. Chuck Buchanan JR
    32. Con Nicolopoulos
    33. Thad Moffitt

  • Logano Speeds to Virginia Lottery Pole Day Victory at Martinsville

    Logano Speeds to Virginia Lottery Pole Day Victory at Martinsville

    MARTINSVILLE, Va. (March 27, 2015) – Joey Logano turned in the fastest lap of the day Friday to win the Virginia Lottery Pole Day pole and claim the top starting spot for the STP 500 Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.

    Logano had a lap of 19.232 seconds (98.461 mph) around the .526-mile oval to claim his second pole of the year and the 10th pole victory of his career.

    “It feels great to finally get the pole here,” Logano said after winning his first Martinsville pole in 16 attempts. “We’ve been so close so many times and throughout my career I feel like we’ve always qualified well here, but was never able to get the pole.
    “You win anything at Martinsville, it’s a big deal. This is such a tough race track and it means a lot to say you’ve won something here even if it’s a pole.”

    Ryan Newman captured the second starting spot for the STP 500 with a time of 19.258 seconds (98.328 mph) followed by Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

    There is a full day of action at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday with NASCAR Sprint Cup practice at 10 a.m., qualifying for the Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at 11:15 a.m. and the final Sprint Cup practice at 1 p.m.

    The Kroger 250 will begin at 2 p.m. Tickets are $35 for adults and $5 for children 12-and-under. Ticket may be purchase online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com or at the Martinsville Speedway ticket office Saturday.

    Great tickets are available for Sunday’s STP 500. Ticket prices start at $50 and can be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX, online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com or at the Martinsville Speedway ticket office.

    Fan gates open at 9 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

    Complete Starting Lineup for the STP 500:

    1) Joey Logano
    2) Ryan Newman
    3) Martin Truex Jr.
    4) Jeff Gordon
    5) Jimmie Johnson
    6) Tony Stewart
    7) Kyle Larson
    8) Matt Kenseth
    9) Kasey Kahne
    10) AJ Allmendinger
    11) Carl Edwards
    12) Brad Keselowski
    13) Paul Menard
    14) Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    15) Denny Hamlin
    16) Danica Patrick
    17) Kevin Harvick
    18) Aric Almirola
    19) Jamie McMurray
    20) David Ragan
    21 )Justin Allgaier
    22) Austin Dillon
    23) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    24) Casey Mears
    25) Greg Biffle
    26) Kurt Busch
    27) Chase Elliott
    28) Michael Annett
    29) David Gilliland
    30) Clint Bowyer
    31) Josh Wise
    32) Jeb Burton
    33) Brett Moffitt
    34) Landon Cassill
    35) Chris Buescher
    36) Trevor Bayne
    37) Cole Whitt
    38) Sam Hornish Jr.
    39) Alex Bowman
    40) Mike Bliss
    41) Alex Kennedy
    42) JJ Yeley
    43) Matt DiBenedetto

  • Kyle Busch Wins the Pole for the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway

    Kyle Busch Wins the Pole for the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway

    It seems rain is going to play games with NASCAR this season. Luckily the rain moved out and by the time it was ready for NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, the track was good to go.

    When qualifying was all done, Kyle Busch scored his 14th Coors Light Pole Award with a lap of 18.998 seconds, 99.674 mph. It also marks the third straight pole for Joe Gibbs Racing.

    “It feels good to put the M&M’s Camry on the pole here at Martinsville is something that doesn’t happen very often — at least with me behind the wheel,” Busch commented. “It certainly is a great day for us and the whole team — Dave Rogers (crew chief) and everybody. They did a great job. We unloaded with a fast car and we tried to dial it in as best we could with race trim and then right there at the last second we did a qualifying run and that was about all we got.

    Here is a round-by-round recap of qualifying.

     

    ROUND #1

    Prior to taking to the track for his qualifying run in round one, Carl Edwards commented on having the first garage stall, which he got due to being the points leader. Edwards stated that having the first garage stall is pretty nice, and  is a testament to how hard his team has worked to get where they are. He also said regarding the qualifying, “Hopefully we will be good in qualifying. I wasn’t going to be mad if it rained all day, but it didn’t so we have to go earn it now.” Edwards qualified in the eighth position for Sunday’s running of the STP 500.

    Based on round one, it looked at if Joey Logano would be on the pole as he posted the quickest time in round one with a speed of 100.201 mph (18.898 seconds) to set a new track record. Most drivers ran three laps, with a few opting to run four.

    Phoenix race winner Kevin Harvick’s car did not show a lot of speed in practice and he wasn’t happy with the car as they weren’t able to tighten it up.

    The 12 cars to advance to round two were: 1) Joey Logano, 2) Denny Hamlin, 3) Kyle Busch, 4) Jamie McMurray, 5) Matt Kenseth, 6) Jeff Gordon, 7) Jimmie Johnson, 8) Carl Edwards, 9) Clint Bowyer, 10) Greg Biffle, 11) Danica Patrick, and 12) Tony Stewart

    .ROUND #2

    In the second round Logano and Kyle Busch seemed like they were going to be the ones to beat for the pole position. For the first time all of the Joe Gibbs cars made it into Round Two. In the second round many drivers’ qualifying times did not change much due to the tire wear after the first round.

    There seemed to be one driver that had something left for the final round and that driver was Kyle Busch. He would take his first ever pole at Martinsville Speedway, and his first pole in 23 races. One of Kyle’s comments was, “It’s Martinsville, we get to sit on the pole so that is pretty cool. There is a first for everything, I guess, so this is pretty neat.”

    Here are your top 12 starters for Sunday’s STP 500

    1) Kyle Busch, 2) Denny Hamlin 3) Joey Logano 4) Jimmie Johnson 5) Jeff Gordon 6) Matt Kenseth 7) Tony Stewart 8) Carl Edwards 9) Jamie McMurray 10) Danical Patrick 11) Greg Biffle 12) Clint Bowyer

    Noteworthy: Danica Patrick’s 10th place starting position is her best non-restrictor plate starting spot.