Quaker State 400 Qualifying
STEWART-HAAS RACING
Qualifying for the Inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Kentucky Speedway
Date: July 8, 2011
Event: Qualifying for the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway (Round 18 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Kentucky Speedway in Sparta (1.5-mile oval)
Pole Winner: None, qualifying canceled due to rain (field set via fastest lap turned during Friday’s practice session)
SHR Lineup: Tony Stewart (9th)
Ryan Newman (18th)
Rain canceled today’s qualifying session for the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. As a result, the 43-car field for Saturday night’s 267-lap event around the 1.5-mile oval was set by taking the fastest lap each driver posted during Friday’s practice session, per new NASCAR rules for 2011.
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 “Back-to-School” Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), will start ninth. His teammate, Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet for SHR, will start 18th.
Stewart’s fast lap in practice was 29.739 seconds at 181.580 mph, while Newman stopped the clocks at 29.833 seconds at 181.008 mph.
Kyle Busch will start first as he posted the fastest speed in Friday’s practice session with a lap of 29.540 seconds at 182.803 mph. Joining him on the outside of row one is Juan Pablo Montoya, who clocked in at 29.589 seconds at 182.500 mph. Kurt Busch (29.614 seconds at 182.346 mph), Kasey Kahne (29.623 seconds at 182.291 mph) and Jimmie Johnson (29.624 seconds at 182.285 mph) comprise the remainder of the top-five.
Forty-eight drivers were slated to qualify for the 43-car field. The five drivers who will not start the event are David Stremme, Michael Waltrip, T.J. Bell, David Starr and Robby Gordon.
The inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway gets underway at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 9 with live coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 6:30 p.m.
-SHR-
