Kyle Busch Surpasses Teammate, Denny Hamlin, to Take the Pole at Martinsville

         With a time of 18.998 seconds (99.674 mph), Kyle Busch was able to best his teammate, Denny Hamlin, to take the pole at Martinsville. Denny Hamlin was fast for the entire session and he was leading early on in the second round of qualifying. Kyle Busch came out halfway through the second and final round and blistered Hamlin's time to easily take the pole away from the rest of the twelve drivers who moved on. Joey Logano followed behind the two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates with another high starting position for Sunday. Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, will start fourth and fifth, respectively. Danica Patrick also grabbed her first top ten starting spot on a track other than a superspeedway as she will start tenth on Sunday. Many people were looking forward to NASCAR's first attempt at group qualifying at Martinsville. Chaos was expected with forty three drivers looking for the fastest lap possible on a half mile stretch of asphalt and concrete. There was a good bit of chaos, but most of the chaos was for the pole position and to be in the top twelve when the second round began. All in all, NASCAR's experiment with group qualifying at Martinsville was a sight to see.

        Carl Edwards was the first driver on track to start the session. He made it on track and he ran a decent lap that put him on top of the board to begin the first round. Two minutes into the session, Denny Hamlin made his way onto the race track and he blistered Edwards lap to jump to the top of the board. Drivers began to enter the track and the battle to make it in the top twelve started to heat up. Guys like Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Tony Stewart were waiting until near the end of the round to head on track. They eventually did and Joey Logano was able to jump to the top of the board with only nine minutes left. Behind him, the battle was really heating up for the twelfth spot. Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick, Greg Biffle, Brian Vickers, A.J. Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski, and others were battling for the spot hard. Drivers began to head on track for second runs with Tony Stewart holding the final transfer spot. The seconds began to click down and each driver outside looking in failed to advance their positions. The red and black flag waved and Tony Stewart barely made it into the second round. Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Danica Patrick, Greg Biffle, and Clint Bowyer also moved on while Brad Keselowski, Brian Vickers, A.J. Allmendinger, Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others missed the second round. Now, the only battle remaining was for the pole position for Sunday's five hundred mile battle.

       Carl Edwards was once again the first driver to make it on track for the start of the second round. He ran a very good lap and he was sitting on the provisional pole spot early in the round. Few drivers made it on track as the round neared halfway. With six minutes left, Denny Hamlin went out and blistered Edwards lap to take the provisional pole. Others came out and fell short, but Kyle Busch wouldn't. With five minutes left, Busch dipped below the nineteen second mark and took the provisional pole. A few drivers remained in the pits and they began to trickle onto the speedway as the minutes began to click down. Each one fell short and all had made it on track with a minute remaining. Some came out for a second run, but it was no use. The red and black flag waved with Kyle Busch still sitting on top and he was given the pole. Busch will now have the preferred first pit box on Sunday and he could very well take his first win at the chaotic Martinsville Speedway. 

        Yes, Kyle Busch starts on the pole and is in prime position for the win, but look at the Martinsville greatness that will start behind him. Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon start in the four spots behind him and the numbers for these drivers at Martinsville are absolutely staggering. Between the four drivers, there are twenty wins at Martinsville. Even more compelling than that, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have combined to win the last three consecutive races at Martinsville. Yes, any driver in the race pretty much has a chance to win the race, but the top five is a probable place to expect a winner. Matt Kenseth starts sixth and he has looked really good at Martinsville in Joe Gibbs Racing equipment. Tony Stewart starts seventh and he very well could take a win Sunday. Carl Edwards, who is leading the points, starts eighth and he has the momentum with a win at Bristol two weeks ago. Danica Patrick rolls of tenth and she has looked very formidable in her attempts at Martinsville. Behind those drivers, there are even more possible contenders like Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex Jr., and so many others. Plus, the rookies might surprise in an event where experience is usually key. All I can say is that we are in for a sure fire gladiator like battle on Sunday in Martinsville with the STP 500. Will Jeff Gordon take two consecutive wins at Martinsville, will Jimmie Johnson continue his domination, will Denny Hamlin return after missing last week's race due to an eye problem, or will we see another driver in victory lane? We only have to wait two short days to find these answers out and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Kyle Busch      18.998 (99.674 mph)
2nd: Denny Hamlin      19.022 (99.548 mph)
3rd: Joey Logano      19.045 (99.428 mph)
4th: Jimmie Johnson      19.093 (99.178 mph)
5th: Jeff Gordon      19.118 (99.048 mph)

Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
6th: Matt Kenseth      19.118 (99.048 mph)
7th: Tony Stewart       19.150 (98.883 mph)
8th: Carl Edwards      19.157 (98.846 mph)
10th: Danica Patrick       19.290 (98.165 mph)
14th: Brad Keselowski      19.141 (98.929 mph)*
18th: Kevin Harvick      19.184 (98.707 mph)*
22nd: Kurt Busch       19.203 (98.610 mph)*
26th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.      19.248 (98.379 mph)*
27th: Kasey Kahne      19.252 (98.359 mph)*
31st: Martin Truex Jr.      19.283 (98.200 mph)*
(*: Each of these drivers were faster than some in the top twelve, but they did not advance to the second round.)

DNQ:
44th: David Reutimann      19.370 (97.759 mph)





Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
http://racing-reference.info/getqualify/2014-06/W
-Image:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2014/03/28/kyle-busch-wins-pole-at-martinsville-speedway/7030699/