Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 Qualifying
STEWART-HAAS RACING
Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 Qualifying
Date: June 4, 2010
Event: Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 Qualifying (Round 14 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Pole Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (53.102 seconds at 169.485 mph)
SHR Lineup: Tony Stewart (6th, 53.305 seconds at 168.840 mph)
Ryan Newman (9th, 53.359 seconds at 168.669 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 Pocono (Pa.) Raceway by qualifying sixth for Sunday’s Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Stewart turned a lap of 53.305 seconds at 168.840 mph on the 2.5-mile triangle.
“The first hour of practice we weren’t very good, but then in the last half-hour we got going pretty decent,” said Stewart, who is the defending winner of the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500. “The car got a lot better. It’s a lot more drivable. Darian (Grubb, crew chief) and these guys have done a good job. We have a decent starting spot and that’s half the battle here because track position is so important.”
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for SHR, qualified ninth with a time of 53.359 seconds at 168.669 mph.
“I told the guys after I got out of the car that I hate being the guinea pig in qualifying. You just never know what the track is going to be like, and I just don’t like being the first one out,” said Newman, who was the first driver to make a qualifying attempt. “I think it was a pretty good lap for the Haas Automation Chevy. I didn’t hit everything just right, but fortunately for us, we got some cloud cover, which was in our favor, and we improved over practice. We ended up with a top-10 starting spot. I’m pretty happy with that.”
Kyle Busch captured his seventh career Sprint Cup pole, his second of the season and his first at Pocono by posting a lap of 53.102 seconds at 169.485 mph. Clint Bowyer will start alongside Busch on the outside of row one, as he timed in at 53.211 seconds at 169.138 mph. Dale Earnhardt Jr., was third at 53.224 seconds at 169.097 mph, while Kurt Busch (53.266 seconds at 168.963 mph) and Denny Hamlin (53.296 seconds at 168.868 mph) rounded out the top-five.
Forty-five drivers attempted to qualify for the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500. Those not making the cut in the 43-car field were Terry Cook and Ted Musgrave.
As far as manufacturers went, Toyota took the top spot via the pole run made by Kyle Busch, while Chevrolet was next best at the hands of Bowyer. Dodge was the third-fastest make via Kurt Busch. Eighth-quick Kasey Kahne carried the flag for Ford (53.345 seconds at 168.713 mph).
The Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 gets underway at 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 6 with live coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at noon.
-SHR-
