Air Guard 400 Qualifying
STEWART-HAAS RACING
Air Guard 400 Qualifying
Date: Sept. 10, 2010
Event: Air Guard 400 Qualifying (Round 26 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Pole Winner: Carl Edwards of Roush Fenway Racing (21.133 seconds at 127.762 mph)
SHR Lineup: Tony Stewart (15th, 21.354 seconds at 126.440 mph)
Ryan Newman (23rd, 21.422 seconds at 126.039 mph)
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway by qualifying 15th for Saturday night’s Air Guard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Stewart turned a lap of 21.354 seconds at 126.440 mph on the .75-mile oval.
“The Old Spice/Office Depot Chevy was tight in the center (of the corner),” said Stewart, who has three Sprint Cup wins and two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victories at Richmond. “But overall, I think we have a pretty good car for Saturday night. Those two qualifying laps don’t really tell the whole story.”
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala for SHR, will start 23rd after turning a lap of 21.422 seconds at 126.039 mph.
“Not as fast as we would’ve liked,” said Newman, who won the September 2003 Sprint Cup race at Richmond. “But the U.S. Army Chevrolet was strong in race trim today and I think we have a top-10 or better car for tomorrow night. Our history at this racetrack has been pretty good the last few races. We just didn’t get everything in the qualifying lap.”
Carl Edwards captured his sixth career Sprint Cup pole, his second of the season and his first at Richmond by posting a lap of 21.133 seconds at 127.762 mph.
Juan Pablo Montoya will start alongside Edwards on the outside of row one, as he timed in at 21.184 seconds at 127.455 mph. A.J. Allmendinger was third at 21.243 seconds at 127.101 mph, while Clint Bowyer (21.247 seconds at 127.077 mph) and David Reutimann (21.257 seconds at 127.017 mph) rounded out the top-five.
Forty-eight drivers attempted to qualify for the Air Guard 400. Those not making the cut in the 43-car field were Terry Labonte, Michael McDowell, Todd Bodine, Scott Riggs and Brian Keselowski.
As far as manufacturers went, Ford took the top spot thanks to Edwards’ pole. Chevrolet was next best at the hands of Montoya, while Toyota was the third-fastest make thanks to Reutimann. Brad Keselowski, who qualified eighth, was the top Dodge (21.270 seconds at 126.939 mph).
The Air Guard 400 gets underway at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Sept. 11 with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m.
-SHR-
