Clint Bowyer was the first driver to go out on the track. He ran a faster lap than he did in practice, but the session would get more competitive and he would fall just outside the top 20. David Stremme would be the first driver to have trouble in the session. Stremme got loose coming out of turn 2 on his first lap and slapped the outside wall with the back end of his car. He had a little damage and tried to attempt a lap, but it ended up being extremely slow. Immediately after Stremme's run, Kyle Busch went out and became the first driver to best the track record. Dale Earnhardt Jr. came out two drivers later and bested Busch's lap. Up to that point, the pole had switched back and forth between the first few drivers, but Earnhardt solidified his spot on the provisional pole. Shortly after this, Jimmie Johnson was interviewed on pit road without his car next to him. The cameras panned out and it could be seen that the team was having trouble getting the car through inspection. The car did not meet NASCAR's minimum weight requirements and there was a problem with the length of one of the side skirts. The team finally got his car through inspection, but his spot had passed and he was put on the five minute clock. He went out three spots after his original placement and it seemed like nothing was wrong. He quickly destroyed the old track record and grabbed the provisional pole. But it wasn't over yet. Brad Keselowski went out next and his lap barely beat Johnson's lap for the pole by four one thousandths of a second. After holding off runs from Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, and Jamie McMurray, Keselowski was able to walk away with the pole. It seemed like the session was finished, but one last thing happened before the line up was put in the books. Jimmie Johnson, who had trouble during the session with inspection, had his time disallowed after his car failed post qualifying inspection because it was found to be too low. Now, he will have to start in last after qualifying in second place. It will be interesting to see if he can make his way to the front.
This year, Brad Keselowski, the 2012 champion, was unable to compete in the 2013 Sprint Unlimited because he did have a pole in 2012. Now, he has punched his ticket for the 2014 race and will look to win it for the first time. Before that happens, he has to also look for his first win of 2013. He has been struggling recently after a hot start, but the eight races before the Chase were the ones that propelled him to the championship last year. Other drivers, like Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch, will look to grab a win to further solidify their Chase position. It will certainly be a good show on Sunday and I am looking forward to it. One key is that any driver in the field can make it 300 miles, but which one will come out on top after 301 miles?
(More Stats Down Below!)
Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Brad Keselowski 28.022 (135.922 mph)
2nd: Jimmie Johnson 28.026 (135.902 mph)*
3rd: Kurt Busch 28.040 (135.835 mph)
4th: Dale Earnhardt Jr. 28.050 (135.786 mph)
5th: Kyle Busch 28.056 (135.757 mph)
(*: Jimmie Johnson's time was disallowed because his car was found to be too low in post qualifying inspection. He will have to start in last place.)
Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
6th: Jeff Gordon 28.104 (135.525 mph)
9th: Kasey Kahne 28.144 (135.333 mph)
13th: Matt Kenseth 28.212 (135.006 mph)
17th: Tony Stewart 28.265 (134.753 mph)
19th: Kevin Harvick 28.320 (134.492 mph)
33rd: Danica Patrick 28.658 (132.905 mph)
DNQs: None
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2013/07/12/new-hampshire-sprint-cup-qualifying-coors-light-pole-award.html
-Image:
http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2013/0712/rpm_g_brad-keselowski_mb_600.jpg
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