Casey Mears will start Saturday’s IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway from pole position after rain forced NASCAR to cancel qualifying.
After two sun-bathed practice sessions, rain began to fall less than an hour before qualifying was due to start. While NASCAR’s jet dryers were soon on the circuit, conditions subsequently worsened, leaving the venue soaked.
The session was cancelled after 90 minutes of waiting, with Mears awarded the pole based on his fastest time from the first of today’s two practice sessions.
“It’s exciting for us – I think it’s gonna be good,” said Mears.
“Obviously, starting up front at Bristol period is always a good thing. Like I said, I think it’s exciting for our team to be able to have this opportunity to have the first pit selection starting up towards the front.
“It gives us a big head start from where we’ve been in the past.”
Brad Keselowski will share the front row with Mears while Greg Biffle and Joey Logano set to start on row two.
Australia’s Marcos Ambrose will start from ninth, while Danica Patrick took the 43rd and final spot on the grid.
Qualifying : IRWIN Tools Night Race – Bristol Motor Speedway
|
POS |
CAR |
DRIVER |
MAKE |
SPONSOR |
SPEED |
TIME |
BEHIND |
| 1 | 13 | Casey Mears | Ford | GEICO | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Dodge | Miller Lite | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 3 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 3M / Bondo | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 4 | 20 | Joey Logano | Toyota | Dollar General | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 5 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | Goody’s Headache Powders | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 6 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | Caterpillar | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 7 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevrolet | Menards / Schrock | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | FedEx Ground | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 9 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Ford | DEWALT | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 10 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | M&M’s | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 11 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | FarmVille / Drive to End Hunger | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 12 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 13 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Rheem | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 14 | 78 | Regan Smith | Chevrolet | Furniture Row / Farm American | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 15 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | NAPA Auto Parts | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 16 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | Diet Mountain Dew / National Guard | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 17 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Valvoline NextGen | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 18 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | Taco Bell | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 19 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | Outback Steak House | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 20 | 51 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | Phoenix Construction | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 21 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | Mobil 1 / Office Depot | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 22 | 55 | Brian Vickers | Toyota | MyClassicGarage.com | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 23 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | 5-hour Energy | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 24 | 34 | David Ragan | Ford | Glory Foods | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 25 | 36 | Dave Blaney | Chevrolet | SealWrap | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 26 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops / Allstate | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 27 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Fastenal | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 28 | 42 | Juan Montoya | Chevrolet | Target | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 29 | 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Dodge | Shell / Pennzoil | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 30 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Ford | K-Love / Curb Records | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 31 | 30 | David Stremme | Toyota | Inception Motorsports | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 32 | 26 | Josh Wise* | Ford | MDS Transport | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 33 | 83 | Landon Cassill | Toyota | Burger King / Dr Pepper | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 34 | 119 | Mike Bliss | Toyota | Plinker Tactical | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 35 | 23 | Scott Riggs | Chevrolet | North Texas Pipe | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 36 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | Toyota | Bush’s Baked Beans | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 37 | 33 | Stephen Leicht* | Chevrolet | Little Joes Autos.com | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 37 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Lowe’s Dover White | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 39 | 249 | Jason Leffler | Toyota | America Israel Racing | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 40 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | Toyota | AM-FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves / AC General | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 41 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | Toyota | Burger King / Dr Pepper | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 42 | 195 | Scott Speed | Ford | JTS | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 42 | 32 | Ken Schrader | Ford | Federated Auto Parts | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 43 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Chevrolet | GoDaddy.com | N/A | N/A | N/A |
+ Set by Owner Points
* Denotes Rookie
For more of the latest NASCAR news and analysis, visit Speedcafe US
