Good Sam Club 500 Qualifying
Good Sam Club 500 Qualifying
Date: Oct. 22, 2011
Event: Good Sam Club 500 Qualifying (Round 32 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval)
Pole Winner: Mark Martin of Hendrick Motorsports (52.799 seconds at 181.367 mph)
SHR Lineup: Ryan Newman (10th, 53.140 seconds at 180.203 mph)
Tony Stewart (12th, 53.168 seconds at 180.108 mph)
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials Saturday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway by qualifying 10th for Sunday’s Good Sam Club 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Newman turned a lap of 53.140 seconds at 180.203 mph on the 2.66-mile oval.
“We didn’t know what to expect since we didn’t make any qualifying laps yesterday in practice. We concentrated on race trim,” said Newman, who has a best Talladega finish of third, earned in April 2009. “It was a pretty good lap considering when we went out (22nd). It’s all about how the guys prepare this U.S. Army Chevrolet to make it fast. It’s up to me to keep the fenders on it and stay out of crashes.”
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 El Monterey/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala for SHR, will start 12th after turning a lap of 53.168 seconds at 180.108 mph.
“I held it wide-open all the way around and will do it all over again tomorrow,” said Stewart, who has one Sprint Cup victory at Talladega, earned in October 2008. “We’re going to drop to the back anyhow, so the starting spot isn’t that important. The pit selections is, and 12th gets us a good spot for the El Monterey/Office Depot Chevy.”
Mark Martin captured his 51st career Sprint Cup pole, his second of the season and his third at Talladega by posting a lap of 52.799 seconds at 181.367 mph.
Martin’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson will start on the outside of row one as he timed in at 52.801 seconds at 181.360 mph. Clint Bowyer was third (52.835 seconds at 181.243 mph), while Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne (52.903 seconds at 181.011 mph) and Jeff Gordon (52.930 seconds at 180.918 mph) rounded out the top-five.
Forty-seven drivers attempted to qualify for the Good Sam Club 500. Those not making the cut in the 43-car field were Geoffrey Bodine, Scott Speed, T.J. Bell and Josh Wise.
As far as manufacturers went, Chevrolet took five of the top-six spots. Ford was the lone make to crack the top-five via Bayne, while Dodge was next best at the hands of 14th-quick Kurt Busch (53.209 seconds at 179.970 mph). Carrying the flag for Toyota was 20th-quick Kevin Conway (53.291 seconds at 179.693 mph), the 2010 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year.
The Good Sam Club 500 gets underway at 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 23 with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with a pre-race show at 1 p.m.
-SHR-
