Samsung Mobile 500 Qualifying
STEWART-HAAS RACING
Samsung Mobile 500 Qualifying
Date: April 8, 2011
Event: Samsung Mobile 500 Qualifying (Round 7 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (1.5-mile oval)
Pole Winner: David Ragan of Roush Fenway Racing (28.448 seconds at 189.820 mph)
SHR Lineup: Ryan Newman (16th, 28.870 seconds at 187.045 mph)
Tony Stewart (26th, 28.976 seconds at 186.361 mph)
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Reserve Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth by qualifying 16th for Saturday night’s Samsung Mobile 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Newman turned a lap of 28.870 seconds at 187.045 mph on the 1.5-mile oval.
“We picked up the pace from practice, but were hoping for a better starting position,” said Newman, who won at Texas in March 2003. “We had two good days of practicing in our U.S. Army Reserve Chevrolet and feel that we should be in good shape in race trim. The big question still remains about what it’s going to be like transitioning from day to night in tomorrow’s under-the-lights race. We haven’t practiced at night, so we’re just going to have to make the right adjustments.”
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala for SHR, will start 26th after turning a lap of 28.976 seconds at 186.361 mph.
“Way loose,” said Stewart, who won at Texas in November 2006. “We’ll be better than that tomorrow.”
David Ragan captured his first career Sprint Cup pole by posting a lap of 28.448 seconds at 189.820 mph.
Ragan’s Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Carl Edwards, will start on the outside of row one as he timed in at 28.644 seconds at 188.521 mph. Clint Bowyer was third (28.688 seconds at 188.232 mph), while Matt Kenseth (28.693 seconds at 188.199 mph) and Regan Smith (28.731 seconds at 187.950 mph) rounded out the top-five.
Forty-four drivers attempted to qualify for the Samsung Mobile 500. The lone driver not making the cut in the 43-car field was Travis Kvapil.
As far as manufacturers went, Ford swept the front row thanks to the runs of Ragan and Edwards. Chevrolet was next best at the hands of Bowyer, while the top Toyota came via eighth-quick Joey Logano (28.787 seconds at 187.585 mph). Carrying the flag for Dodge was 10th-quick Kurt Busch (28.815 seconds at 187.402 mph).
The Samsung Mobile 500 gets underway at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 9 with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with a pre-race show at 7 p.m.
-SHR-
