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| Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images |
Michigan International Speedway's brand new surface presented drivers the opportunity to orchestrate a rare feat in modern NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. With speeds exceeding the 200-mile per hour mark in Friday practice, the two-mile Michigan oval was providing an experience that was commonly seen at the Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway prior to restrictor plates were introduced during the late 1980s. With a qualifying time of 190.345 miles per hour recorded by Jamie McMurray in the second Michigan race of 2011, the 2012 qualifying session is set to become the fastest non-restrictor plate track time trial.
In the third practice Friday alone for Sunday's Quicken Loans 400, 14 cars exceeded 200 miles per hour for average speed around the two-mile track. Setting up what was going to be a fast qualifying session Saturday at Michigan International Speedway, speed in practice was repeated by NASCAR Sprint Cup cars. With 19 cars breaking the 200-mile per hour barrier in their timed laps into the Quicken Loans 400, the #9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford of Marcos Ambrose was the fastest during the very fast session. Lapping the two-mile, newly-paved oval in 35.426 seconds, the average speed through the pole-winning lap was 203.241 miles per hour.
Second fastest in NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying at Michigan International Speedway was the #29 Budweiser Chevrolet driven by Kevin Harvick. Harvick was two-tenths of a second slower than Ambrose translating to an average speed just over 202 miles per hour. Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman rounded out the top-5 for the Quicken Loans 400 line-up Sunday.
Realizing that the fast times were also putting the reliability of the Goodyear tires at risk, NASCAR has allowed the tire supplier to provide a new set of left side tires for the weekend. A harder and predictably set to drop lap times for Sunday's event, the new Goodyear left-side tires are being supplied to Sprint Cup teams for the first time in a special 75-minute afternoon practice session after the NASCAR Nationwide Series race.
2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Quicken Loans 400
Michigan International Speedway
Qualifying Results
| Car # | Driver | Sponsor/ Car Maker | |
| 1 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Stanley Ford |
| 2 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet |
| 3 | 16 | Greg Biffle | 3M/Salute Ford |
| 4 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Farmers Insurance Chevrolet |
| 5 | 39 | Ryan Newman | US ARMY Chevrolet |
| 6 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford EcoBoost Ford |
| 7 | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford |
| 8 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet |
| 9 | 20 | Joey Logano | The Home Depot Toyota |
| 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Lowe's Chevrolet |
| 11 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Office Toyota |
| 12 | 78 | Regan Smith | Furniture Row Chevrolet |
| 13 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | 5-hour Energy Toyota |
| 14 | 55 | Mark Martin | Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota |
| 15 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Medallion Ford |
| 16 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | NAPA Auto Parts Toyota |
| 17 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | DietMtnDew/TheDrkKnghtRises/NtnlGrd Chev |
| 18 | 27 | Paul Menard | Menards/Duracell Chevrolet |
| 19 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | McDonald's Chevrolet |
| 20 | 22 | AJ Allmendinger | Shell Pennzoil Dodge |
| 21 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Target Chevrolet |
| 22 | 33 | Austin Dillon | American Ethanol Chevrolet |
| 23 | 23 | Scott Riggs | North TX Pipe Chevrolet |
| 24 | 13 | Casey Mears | Valvoline NEXTGEN Ford |
| 25 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Miller Lite Dodge |
| 26 | 51 | Kurt Busch | Phoenix Construction Services, Inc. Chevrolet |
| 27 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Presbyterian Healthcare Ford |
| 28 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | DuPont Chevrolet |
| 29 | 19 | Mike Bliss | Humphrey Smith Racing, LLC Toyota |
| 30 | 26 | Josh Wise | MDS Transport Ford |
| 31 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | Charter Toyota |
| 32 | 83 | Landon Cassill | Burger King Toyota |
| 33 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Caterpillar Chevrolet |
| 34 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Snickers Toyota |
| 35 | 38 | David Gilliland | Long John Silver's Ford |
| 36 | 36 | Dave Blaney | Seal Wrap Chevrolet |
| 37 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota |
| 38 | 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports Ford |
| 39 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | Burger King Toyota |
| 40 | 32 | Ken Schrader | Federated Auto Parts Ford |
| 41 | 10 | Tony Raines | Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet |
| 42 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Fastenal Ford |
| 43 | 49 | JJ Yeley | America Israel Racing/JPO Absorbents Toyota |
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