Friday, November 6, 2009

Jeff Gordon, #24 Car, Takes Texas Pole


Photo Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR


Being more than a year since he last qualified on the pole, 4-time Cup series champion Jeff Gordon and his #24 DuPont Chevrolet will start from the top spot at Texas Motor Speedway for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup's Dickies 500. Setting the fastest time midway through the qualifying session around the 1.5 miles oval, the #24 DuPont Chevrolet's 28.255 second lap (averaging in speed of 191.117 miles per hour) bettered the time set of the #9 Dodge of Kasey Kahne by 0.021 seconds. With the last serious challenge for the Texas pole coming from Kurt Busch wheeling Penske Racing Miller Lite machine, Busch's effort came short of both Gordon and Kahne. Rounding out the top five for the Texas Sprint Cup event are Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch.

Qualifying 12th, NASCAR's jack rabbit Jimmie Johnson will have a minor obstacle to overcome at the beginning of the Dickies 500. The Teflon Man of the 2009 Chase for the Championship Johnson's #48 Chevrolet Impala, wrenched by crew chief Chad Knaus, races into the Lone Star state grabbing a top 10 run at Talladega despite running in the back for the entire event. Nursing a 184 point lead with three races to go in the 2009 season, Johnson's 4th straight championship appears to be in the cards if prior luck holds.

Early this week, Penske Racing made a surprise announcement placing their 2010 driver Brad Keselowski into the #12 Dodge Charger early in preparation for next season. In his first outing outside of the Chevrolet Bowtie brigade in NASCAR Sprint Cup, Brad Keselowski starts deep in the field in 35th position. Though Keselowski's tenure with Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports ends in the Sprint Cup series, he will still pilot the #88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for the Remainder of the NASCAR Nationwide series of 2009.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Dickies 500
Texas Motor Speedway


1. Jeff Gordon #24 Chevrolet (C)
2. Kasey Kahne #9 Dodge (C)
3. Kurt Busch #2 Dodge (C)
4. Tony Stewart #14 Chevrolet (C)
5. Kyle Busch #18 Toyota
6. Carl Edwards #99 Ford (C)
7. Mark Martin #5 Chevrolet (C)
8. Greg Biffle #16 Ford (C)
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Chevrolet
10. Clint Bowyer #33 Chevrolet

Other Notables

12. Jimmie Johnson #48 Chevrolet (C)
20. Juan Pablo Montoya #42 Chevrolet (C)
22. Jamie McMurray #26 Ford
25. Denny Hamlin #11 Toyota (C)
26. Ryan Newman #39 Chevrolet (C)
30. Matt Kenseth #17 Ford
35. Brad Keselowski #12 Dodge
42. Jeff Burton #31 Chevrolet
43. Bill Elliot #21 Ford

No comments:

Post a Comment