Subway Fresh Fit 600k Qualifying
STEWART-HAAS RACING
Subway Fresh Fit 600k Qualifying
Date: April 9, 2010
Event: Subway Fresh Fit 600k Qualifying (Round 7 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Phoenix International Raceway (1-mile oval)
Pole Winner: A.J. Allmendinger of Richard Petty Motorsports (26.731 seconds at 134.675 mph)
SHR Lineup: Tony Stewart (11th, 27.024 seconds at 133.215 mph)
Ryan Newman (14th 27.065 seconds at 133.013 mph)
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials at Phoenix International Raceway by qualifying 11th for Saturday night’s Subway Fresh Fit 600k NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Stewart turned a lap of 27.024 seconds at 133.215 mph on the 1-mile oval.
“I just over-drove it on the second lap. The first lap was solid, but the second lap wasn’t very good,” said Stewart, who is sporting a special green-themed paint scheme this weekend promoting Office Depot’s partnership with EarthEra, a program created by NextEra Energy Resources. “I knew I had a solid first one, but when I went to try and get more out of it, I ended up getting loose into (turn) one.”
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet Impala for SHR, will start 14th after turning a lap of 27.065 seconds at 133.013 mph.
“I thought the guys did d a great job getting the Tornados Chevrolet ready for qualifying today. Unfortunately, I didn’t hit my marks the way I had hoped,” said Newman, who still holds the track qualifying record at Phoenix – 26.499 seconds at 135.854 mph on Nov. 5, 2004. “We had an early draw, which didn’t really help any either, but I’ve had a lot better laps here in the past.”
A.J. Allmendinger captured his first-ever Sprint Cup pole in his 87th career start by posting a lap of 26.731 seconds at 134.675 mph. Scott Speed will start alongside Allmendinger on the outside of row one, as he timed in at 26.791 seconds at 134.373 mph. Sam Hornish Jr., was third at 26.826 seconds at 134.198 mph, while Marcos Ambrose (26.903 seconds at 133.814 mph) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (26.938 seconds at 133.640 mph) rounded out the top-five.
Forty-seven drivers attempted to qualify for the Subway Fresh Fit 600k. Those not making the cut in the 43-car field were Aric Almirola, Brandon Ash, Mike Bliss and David Stremme.
As far as manufacturers went, Ford took the top spot thanks to Allmendinger’s pole. Toyota was next best at the hands of Speed, Dodge was the third-fastest make via Hornish, and Earnhardt carried the flag for Chevrolet.
The Subway Fresh Fit 600k gets underway at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 10 with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m.
-SHR-
