Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Martin to start 1000th race from pole

Mark Martin will make his 1000th NASCAR career start on Saturday night and he will do so from pole position after emerging fastest in qualifying at Bristol

The 50-year-old claimed his fifth pole position of the season and the 46th of his career by setting a lap of 15.414 seconds at an average speed of 124.484 mph.

Despite running early in the session and the improving track conditions, his time stood until the final car completed a flying lap, securing the Hendrick driver one of the most important pole positions of the season.

"That was a pretty good lap," said Martin, who currently ranks in the 'bubble' in the points standing as the last inside the Chase zone.

"I just keep getting this great, special laps. The car was dead-sideways going into [turn] three. I've never been so scared in my whole life. I ran the second lap because I thought the first was junk."

"This performance will do [the Chase]. I don't know about the luck, you know. We've got the performance to do what we need to do."

Roush Fenway's Greg Biffle will start beside his former team-mate on the front row, matching his best qualifying effort of the year after running well during the two afternoon practice sessions.

"I just screwed up in [turns] one and two, I didn't get to the gas soon enough," said Biffle. "The car stuck, I just didn't have the guts to force the gas down. I did it down [turn three and four] but I didn't do it down here and lost [pole] by just an inch. I feel bad for the guys but it's a good starting spot for us."

Scott Speed was the fastest of the non-guaranteed drivers in third, beating fellow rookie Joey Logano who also enjoyed a good run, qualifying eighth.

Dave Blaney, who had been third provisionally, lost the spot to Speed in the closing stages of the session, but still had by far his best qualifying result of the season. Matt Kenseth made massive improvements from practice to round out the top-five.

Many of the drivers who are fighting their way in the Chase ranked among the top-fifteen, with Clint Bowyer taking sixth, Ryan Newman ninth, Juan Pablo Montoya eleventh and Michigan winner Brian Vickers in fourteenth ahead of Kyle Busch.

Reigning champion Jimmie Johnson was fastest in the final practice but failed to show the same speed in qualifying, ranking 21st in the end while points leader Tony Stewart was 30th.

Mike Skinner, Max Papis, Mike Wallace and Aric Almirola all failed to make the field.

Pos  Driver              Make        Speed     Time
 1.  Mark Martin         Chevrolet   124.484   15.414
 2.  Greg Biffle         Ford        124.307   15.436 + 0.022
 3.  Scott Speed         Toyota      124.146   15.456 + 0.042
 4.  Dave Blaney         Toyota      123.969   15.478 + 0.064
 5.  Matt Kenseth        Ford        123.897   15.487 + 0.073
 6.  Clint Bowyer        Chevrolet   123.890   15.488 + 0.074
 7.  Casey Mears         Chevrolet   123.754   15.505 + 0.091
 8.  Joey Logano         Toyota      123.706   15.511 + 0.097
 9.  Ryan Newman         Chevrolet   123.642   15.519 + 0.105
10.  Reed Sorenson       Dodge       123.610   15.523 + 0.109
11.  David Gilliland     Chevrolet   123.586   15.526 + 0.112
12.  Juan Montoya        Chevrolet   123.586   15.526 + 0.112
13.  Kurt Busch          Dodge       123.538   15.532 + 0.118
14.  Brian Vickers       Toyota      123.451   15.543 + 0.129
15.  Kyle Busch          Toyota      123.435   15.545 + 0.131
16.  Kevin Harvick       Chevrolet   123.340   15.557 + 0.143
17.  Jamie McMurray      Ford        123.245   15.569 + 0.155
18.  David Reutimann     Toyota      123.126   15.584 + 0.170
19.  AJ Allmendinger     Dodge       123.103   15.587 + 0.173
20.  Bobby Labonte       Ford        123.047   15.594 + 0.180
21.  Jimmie Johnson      Chevrolet   122.984   15.602 + 0.188
22.  Terry Labonte       Toyota      122.842   15.620 + 0.206
23.  David Ragan         Ford        122.787   15.627 + 0.213
24.  Martin Truex Jr     Chevrolet   122.756   15.631 + 0.217
25.  Marcos Ambrose      Toyota      122.670   15.642 + 0.228
26.  Scott Wimmer        Chevrolet   122.646   15.645 + 0.231
27.  Dale Earnhardt Jr   Chevrolet   122.584   15.653 + 0.239
28.  Regan Smith         Chevrolet   122.576   15.654 + 0.240
29.  Kasey Kahne         Dodge       122.537   15.659 + 0.245
30.  Tony Stewart        Chevrolet   122.521   15.661 + 0.247
31.  Robby Gordon        Toyota      122.482   15.666 + 0.252
32.  Carl Edwards        Ford        122.419   15.674 + 0.260
33.  Jeff Gordon         Chevrolet   122.411   15.675 + 0.261
34.  David Stremme       Dodge       122.310   15.688 + 0.274
35.  Tony Raines         Dodge       122.217   15.700 + 0.286
36.  Michael Waltrip     Toyota      122.115   15.713 + 0.299
37.  Jeff Burton         Chevrolet   122.108   15.714 + 0.300
38.  Sam Hornish Jr      Dodge       122.053   15.721 + 0.307
39.  Joe Nemechek        Toyota      121.566   15.784 + 0.370
40.  Paul Menard         Ford        121.389   15.807 + 0.393
41.  John Andretti       Chevrolet   121.243   15.826 + 0.412
42.  Denny Hamlin        Toyota      120.626   15.907 + 0.493
43.  Elliott Sadler      Dodge       119.948   15.997 + 0.583

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Johnson honoured by US president
Next article Montoya frustrated with Kahne

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe