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NASCAR News | May 7, 2010
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Jamie McMurray sets track record in Southern 500 qualifying
Associated Press
May 7, 2010
Darlington, SC — Jamie McMurray set a Darlington record pace to lead qualifying Friday for NASCAR's Southern 500, ahead of seven-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon and Brian Vickers third.
McMurray's best speed of of 290.277 kph (180.370 mph), plus the times of Gordon and Vickers all bettered the old mark that Matt Kenseth set a year ago.
"I was like grinning in the car because you just don't get to have this kind of lap very often," McMurray said.
It was the fifth career pole and second this season for the Daytona 500 champion. And it came on a day when racers had a hard enough time staying on course at the track "Too Tough To Tame."
"When you come somewhere like here, when your car doesn't stick, you hit the wall," McMurray said. "You just hope it sticks. And if it does, you run a good lap."
Last week's winner at Richmond, Kyle Busch, scraped the wall on his qualifying run and will start 39th on Saturday.
Darlington Fast Facts
What: Showtime Southern 500, 11th of 36 races for NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series.
Where: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, 1.366-mile oval.
When: Saturday, May 8, 7:45 p.m. ET
TV: Fox, 7 p.m. ET
Distance: 367 laps, 501.322 miles
Weather: TBA
2009 winner: Mark Martin.
Quick hits: Jeff Gordon has the most Darlington wins among active drivers with seven, just three shy of David Peason's all-time mark. ... Defending race champ Mark Martin is the track's all-time leader in lead-lap finishes with 27 in 43 Cup efforts.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. crashed on his second lap of practice and moved to a back up car. He was so spooked by the track, Earnhardt Jr. predicted he'd show up here one year, have another bad run and give up the sport.
That's an attitude "Little E" didn't inherit from his late father Dale Earnhardt is second on Darlington's career list with nine victories. Earnhardt Jr. finished 19th fastest.
Mark Martin, who won this race at 50 years old a year ago, had the fifth fastest time and will start alongside Ryan Newman.
Roush Fenway Racing star Carl Edwards could not get in on time and used his top 35 position in owners points to make the field. Edwards will start 41st.
Speeds increased again in the Sprint Cup series third visit since a multimillion dollar repaving project smoothed out the rough edges of the six-decade-old, egg-shaped superspeedway.
Where the choppy surface in the past might give racers time to correct and yield a gentle "Darlington stripe," now drivers edge harder into the wall and lead to bigger problems.
"It makes it pretty hairy," said Gordon, who shares the track record of five Southern 500s with Cale Yarborough.
McMurray has had his struggles with Darlington since his first Sprint Cup visit in 2003. He had qualified inside the top 10 just once in nine previous races and has only finished in the top 15 once in his past four events.
Showtime Southern 500 lineup
1. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet
2. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
3. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota
4. (00) David Reutimann, Toyota
5. (5) Mark Martin, Chevrolet
6. (39) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet
7. (47) Marcos Ambrose, Toyota
8. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
9. (12) Brad Keselowski, Dodge
10. (9) Kasey Kahne, Ford
11. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet
12. (43) AJ Allmendinger, Ford
13. (20) Joey Logano, Toyota
14. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge
15. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet
16. (82) Scott Speed, Toyota
17. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford
18. (55) Michael McDowell, Toyota
19. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet
20. (98) Paul Menard, Ford
21. (6) David Ragan, Ford
22. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
23. (71) Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet
24. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet
25. (77) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge
26. (7) Robby Gordon, Toyota
27. (33) Clint Bowye, Chevrolet
28. (66) Dave Blaney, Toyota
29. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford
30. (46) J.J. Yeley, Dodge
31. (26) David Stremme, Ford
32. (78) Regan Smith, Chevrolet
33. (56) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota
34. (38) David Gilliland, Ford
35. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
36. (32) Reed Sorenson, Toyota
37. (64) Todd Bodine, Toyota
38. (19) Elliott Sadler, Ford
39. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota
40. (34) Travis Kvapi, Ford
41. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford
42. (37) Kevin Conway, Ford
43. (13) Max Papis, Toyota
Failed to Qualify
44. Joe Nemechek, Toyota
45. (36) Casey Mears, Chevrolet
46. (09) Mike Bliss, Chevrolet
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