STEWART-HAAS RACING: Sharpie 500 Qualifying
STEWART-HAAS RACING
Sharpie 500 Qualifying
Date: Aug. 21, 2009
Event: Sharpie 500 Qualifying (Round 24 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Pole Winner: Mark Martin of Hendrick Motorsports (15.414 seconds at 124.484 mph)
SHR Lineup: Ryan Newman (9th, 15.519 seconds at 123.642 mph)
Tony Stewart (30th, 15.661 seconds at 122.521 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 Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway by qualifying ninth for Saturday night’s Sharpie 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Newman turned a lap of 15.519 seconds at 123.642 mph on the .533-mile oval.
“Coming to the green, our No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet was sideways loose and I was just like ‘Oh, man,’” said Newman, who finished seventh at Bristol in the series’ March visit to the track. “Although we were extremely loose, it was a pretty good lap for us, and it gave us a pretty solid starting spot right there in the top-10, which is what we are looking for. We had a really good run at Bristol in the spring, and that’s what we need again tomorrow night to get ourselves in the Chase.”
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala SS for SHR, will start 30th after turning a lap of 15.661 seconds at 122.521 mph.
“We were just way, way, way too tight on our qualifying run,” said Stewart, who won at Bristol in August 2001.
Mark Martin captured his 46th career pole, his fifth of the season and his ninth at Bristol by posting a lap of 15.414 seconds at 124.484 mph. Martin also won the pole for the March race at Bristol.
Greg Biffle will start alongside Martin on the outside of row one, as he timed in at 15.436 seconds at 124.307 mph. Rookie Scott Speed was third (15.456 seconds at 124.146 mph), while Dave Blaney (15.478 seconds at 123.970 mph) and Matt Kenseth (15.487 seconds at 123.897 mph) rounded out the top-five.
Forty-seven drivers attempted to qualify for the Sharpie 500. Aric Almirola and Mike Wallace were the only two drivers not to make the field.
As far as manufacturers went, Chevrolet took the top two spots thanks to the pole run of Martin. Ford was next best at the hands of Biffle, while Toyota was the third-fastest make thanks to Speed. Reed Sorenson, who qualified 10th, was the top Dodge (15.523 seconds at 123.610 mph).
The Sharpie 500 gets underway at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 22 with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with its pre-race show at 6:30 p.m.