Ambrose Takes Michigan Cup Race Pole with 203.241 MPH Lap

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

Kenseth Leads Ford Front Row for Sunday's Phoenix Cup Race

Photo Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Still possessing a mathematical chance at the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, Matt Kenseth emerged from Saturday's qualifying with the Kobalt Tools 500 pole position. Kenseth steered his #17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford around the newly-paved Phoenix International Raceway with a lead time of a 26.26 seconds averaging 137.10 miles per hour. A tad slower than teammate Carl Edward's spring qualifying benchmark, Matt Kenseth's time is the quickest run achieved during a late fall event at the one-mile Phoenix oval. 

Allowing Ford's blue oval to shine with supremacy from the start of Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race, AJ Allmendinger lapped the race track at 26.38 seconds. Ford Fusions swept the top three positions with the second Richard Petty Motorsports #9 car of Marcos Ambrose registering a time just 3/100ths of a second slower than Allmendinger.

While Ford teams claims some important victories at Phoenix International Raceway (including the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race by Alan Kulwicki in 1988 and Carl Edward's victory in last season's fall event), Chevrolet have won 13 of the 15 Phoenix Sprint Cup runnings. At the start of Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500, the top Chevrolet will be in 4th spot; the Hendrick Motorsports #5 machine driven by Mark Martin. Martin's fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammates are positioned in mid-field positions with Jimmie Johnson in 16th, Dale Earnhardt Jr starting 22nd and Jeff Gordon qualified in 23rd. Of the 12 race won by Chevrolet since 2003, 7 times it was a Hendrick Motorsports car stationed in victory lane.

Wrapping up the top-10 qualifiers for the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway is Martin Truex Jr (the highest starting Toyota), Jamie McMurray, David Reutimann, title-contending Tony Stewart, Chase points leader Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne. With Edwards and Stewart entering the Phoenix separated by just 3 points in the 2011 Chase points, one slight miscue by either driver could result in a drastic event as only the series finale Homestead-Miami Speedway round left after this race.

Interesting notes heading into the resurfaced Phoenix International Raceway is neither Toyota or Dodge have recorded a Cup victory at the one-mile Arizona track. Also, the Phoenix race Sunday will be the first career Sprint Cup start with Camping World Truck Series rookie Cole Whitt driving a third Toyota Camry for Team Red Bull.

Scheduled for 312 laps, the 500-kilometer NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix is set for a 3pm Eastern time start.

  

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Kobalt Tools 500
Phoenix International Raceway
Starting Lineup

  

1. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
2. 43 A J Allmendinger WIX Filters Ford
3. 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWalt Ford
4. 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
5. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
6. 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet
7. 0 David Reutimann TUMS Toyota
8. 14 Tony Stewart Mobil 1 / Office Depot Chevrolet
9. 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
10. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
11. 27 Paul Menard Peak / Menards Chevrolet
12. 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
13. 6 David Ragan UPS My Choice Ford
14. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Global Mining Chevrolet
15. 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
16. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's / Kobalt Tools Chevrolet
17. 22 Kurt Busch Shell Pennzoil Dodge
18. 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
19. 84 Cole Whitt Red Bull Racing Toyota
20. 7 Robby Gordon SPEED Energy / MAPEI Dodge
21. 51 Landon Cassill Phoenix Construction Chevrolet
22. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Retro Diet Mt. Dew / National Guard Chevrolet
23. 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
24. 46 Scott Speed Green Stuff Absorbent Ford
25. 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
26. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
27. 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
28. 33 Clint Bowyer USO / Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
29. 16 Greg Biffle 3M / Meguiar's Ford
30. 39 Ryan Newman U.S. Army Veterans Day Chevrolet
31. 47 Bobby Labonte Wounded Warrior / Clorox / Kleenex Toyota
32. 87 Joe Nemechek AM FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stoves Toyota
33. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota
34. 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota
35. 66 Michael McDowell HP Racing Toyota
36. 37 Mike Skinner MaxQ Motorsports Ford
37. 55 Travis Kvapil Aloft Hotels Ford
38. 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
39. 32 Mike Bliss Veterans United Home Loans Ford
40. 36 Geoffrey Bodine Luke & Associates Inc. Chevrolet
41. 38 J J Yeley Vampt Ford
42. 34 David Gilliland Aloft Hotels Ford
43. 35 Dave Blaney Golden Corral Chevrolet