With a time of 14.813 seconds (129.535 mph), Kyle Busch set the track qualifying record for Bristol and grabbed the pole. In fact, two other drivers, Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin, bested the previous track record. Plus, six more drivers bested the fourteen second mark. One more thing, the top thirty six qualifiers bested last year's qualifying time. In case you haven't figured out, the new cars are really fast at Bristol. Now back to Kyle Busch's pole position. He went out early and set the fast time, but he had to dodge a lot of bullets throughout the session.
The qualifying rules were once again changed. The 2012 Owner Points are no longer being used and the top 35 rule has been eliminated completely. Now, the thirty six fastest drivers are locked in and the final spots are based on provisionals for this year's owner points along with the past champion's provisional. The first driver out on the track was Mike Bliss. He immediately set the tone for the session by laying down a lap quicker than Greg Biffle's pole run at Bristol last year. The pole position switched back and forth between drivers to begin the session. This all changed when Kyle Busch, the ninth driver out, ran the first sub-fourteen second lap and beat the track record. One by one, the drivers attempted to beat his time, but they were unsuccessful. Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch's teammate, beat the track record, but came up short and had to settle for second. Well, before Kasey Kahne was able to surpass Hamlin's time. But even Kahne was unable to surpass Kyle Busch's time. With Casey Mears' run, Kyle Busch grabbed the pole and set his own track record at Bristol.
Based on qualifying, the race should be filled with beating and banging and shear speed. Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, and Denny Hamlin showed today that they are serious about winning at “The World's Fastest Half Mile”, Bristol Motor Speedway. Not only that, but it is Bristol. Usually, some drivers reach the breaking point and there anger seeps out into a confrontation and objects start flying. Just ask Matt Kenseth where Tony Stewart's helmet landed at Bristol last year. I can't wait for Sunday's Food City 500 and I hope you are as anxious as I am.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Kyle Busch 14.813 (129.535 mph) *
2nd: Kasey Kahne 14.875 (128.995 mph) *
3rd: Denny Hamlin 14.879 (128.960 mph) *
4th: Brian Vickers 14.929 (128.528 mph)
5th: Paul Menard 14.949 (128.356 mph)
(*: Faster than the previous track qualifying record.)
Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
7th: Brad Keselowski 14.966 (128.211 mph)
11th: Jeff Gordon 15.006 (127.869 mph)
13th: Jimmie Johnson 15.010 (127.835 mph)
18th: Kevin Harvick 15.055 (127.453 mph)
32nd: Dale Earnhardt Jr. 15.235 (125.947 mph)
41st: Danica Patrick 15.395 (124.638 mph)
Provisional Starters (With Times): *
37th: Travis Kvapil 15.333 (125.142 mph)
38th: Joe Nemechek 15.363 (124.897 mph)
39th: Bobby Labonte 15.382 (124.743 mph)
40th: Josh Wise 15.386 (124.711 mph)
41st: Danica Patrick 15.395 (124.638 mph)
42nd: Landon Cassill 15.427 (124.379 mph)
43rd: Terry Labonte 15.560 (123.316 mph)
(*: Based on 2013 Owner Points; ordered by qualifying speeds)
DNQ (With Time):
44th: Scott Riggs 15.418 (124.452 mph)
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
http://www.jayski.com/news/stats/2013/story/_/page/04-Bristol-2013-Qualifying-Lineup
-Image:
http://www.autoweek.com/storyimage/CW/20130315/NASCAR01/130319860/AR/0/Kyle-Busch-wins-pole-for-Bristol.jpg
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