Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Qualifying from Richmond
STEWART-HAAS RACING
Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Qualifying
Date: Sept. 11, 2009
Event: Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Qualifying (Round 26 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Pole Winner: Mark Martin of Hendrick Motorsports (21.292 seconds at 126.808 mph)
SHR Lineup: Ryan Newman (21st, 21.543 seconds at 125.331 mph)
Tony Stewart (29th, 21.665 seconds at 124.625 mph)
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala SS, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway by qualifying 21st for Saturday night’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Newman turned a lap of 21.543 seconds at 125.331 mph on the .75-mile oval.
“I don’t know if I didn’t drive it hard enough or what, but that was all I had out there,” said Newman, who won at Richmond in September 2003. “I was happy with the car in practice, and we’ve been solid on the short tracks all season, so hopefully that will play into our favor. We know there is a lot at stake here tomorrow night as we try to lock ourselves into the Chase. We have to be aware of all of our situations and the offensive and defensive side of things and make sure we put ourselves in the best position, so if we don’t win, we can still be in the right position for making that Chase.”
Newman enters Richmond ninth in points, 81 markers ahead of 13th-place Brian Vickers. If he finishes 16th or better in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, he will qualify for the 12-driver Chase for the Championship.
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala SS for SHR, qualified 29th. The co-owner of SHR along with Oxnard, Calif.-based Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in the western world – turned a lap of 21.665 seconds at 124.625 mph.
“I drove way too deep into (turn) one,” said Stewart, who has three Sprint Cup wins at Richmond (September 1999, May 2001 and May 2002). “It’s all about consistency, and that lap wasn’t very consistent. But the car is good and we’re in good shape for tomorrow night.”
Stewart locked himself into the Chase three races ago by simply starting the Aug. 16 Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.
Mark Martin captured his 47th career Sprint Cup pole, his sixth of the season and his fourth at Richmond with a time of 21.292 seconds at 126.808 mph. The pole position matches Martin’s career season-high in poles, as he scored six poles in 1989.
Martin Truex Jr. (21.305 seconds at 126.731 mph) will start alongside Martin on the outside of row one, while Denny Hamlin (21.322 seconds at 126.630 mph), Jimmie Johnson (21.337 seconds at 126.541 mph) and Kasey Kahne (21.352 seconds at 126.452 mph) rounded out the top-five.
Forty-four drivers attempted to qualify for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. The lone driver not making the cut in the 43-car field was Tony Raines.
As far as manufacturers went, Chevrolet took the top spot via the pole run made by Martin. Toyota was next best at the hands of Hamlin, while Dodge was the third-fastest make thanks to Kahne. Tenth-quick Carl Edwards (21.465 seconds at 125.786 mph) carried the flag for Ford.
The Chevy Rock & Roll 400 gets underway at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Sept. 12 with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m.