Truex snags Martinsville pole

Truex posted a lap of 98.206mph for his fifth pole of the season and his first at Martinsville Speedway on Friday.

It's Truex second pole in as many weeks. He won the pole last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway but his Chase hopes were dashed when his engine expired after 41 laps.

“This place is just so tough,” Truex said. “That first pit stall is so critical for having a shot at winning here.

“Man, I would love to get my first grandfather clock (the Martinsville trophy). This helps a little bit after last week. Just proud of the guys coming here and executing."

Joey Logano, who had earned the last three poles on the half-mile track, fell short with a lap of 98.165mph. He acknowledged that he lost the pole on the exit of the turn.

“I had a good center, when I went to the gas, I just got loose,” Logano said. “I could get a good launch, I was just a little aggressive inside the car, may of cost us a little. But that’s what it takes here at Martinsville. You have to be right there on that edge to go fast.”

Jimmie Johnson was third with a lap of 97.840mph, followed by AJ Allmendinger (97.729mph), Chase Elliott (97.699mph) and Tony Stewart (97.684mph).

Carl Edwards will start seventh (97.613mph) followed by Denny Hamlin (97.518), Kyle Busch (97.508mph), Jeff Gordon (97.427mph), Kyle Larson (96.904mph) and David Ragan (96.830mph). Ragan’s 12th-place starting position is his best in 2016.

For Truex, Friday’s feat marked his 11th career Cup pole. Although it’s great to have track position at the start of the race, the first pit stall will pay off repeatedly throughout the event.

“It’s no guarantee that you’ll race well on Sunday, but it’s definitely a nice advantage if you have a good race car to make up spots on pit road and not have to worry about getting blocked in on pit road.

“I had my first Martinsville hot dog today. Perhaps that did the trick.”

Round 2

Rookie Chase Elliott led the second round with a lap of 98.129mph. He posted the fast lap on his second circuit.

Martin Truex Jr. barely missed the spot after running a lap of 98.124mph. Kyle Busch (98.114mph), Tony Stewart (98.012mph), Kyle Larson (97.790mph), Joey Logano (97.714mph) Jeff Gordon (97.714mph), Jimmie Johnson (97.684mph), Carl Edwards (97.623mph), AJ Allmendinger (97.513mph), David Ragan (97.493mph) and Denny Hamlin (97.453mph) all transferred to the final round.

Ryan Newman (97.422mph), Jamie McMurray (97.372mph), Ryan Blaney (97.292mph) and Aric Almirola just missed the cut-off as did Chasers Matt Kenseth (17th), Kevin Harvick (20th) and Kurt Busch (23rd).

Round 1

Joey Logano was the 39th car to take a lap in the opening round and shot to the top of the speed chart with a lap of 98.323mph. Logano was one of just four drivers to accomplish their fastest lap in just two circuits.

All four Stewart-Haas Racing Chevys transferred to the second round with the bossTony Stewart (98.145mph) leading the charge.

Martin Truex Jr. (97.785mph) was third followed by Denny Hamlin (97.739mph), Chase Elliott (97.709mph), Kyle Busch (97.674mph), Jeff Gordon (97.659mph), Ryan Blaney (97.659mph), AJ Allmendinger (97.623mph), Jamie McMurray (97.568mph), Jimmie Johnson (97.538mph) and Carl Edwards (97.382mph).

The second 12 drivers to advance included Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, David Ragan, Kyle Larson, Danica Patrick, Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch and Regan Smith.

Kurt Busch, who was at the bottom of the Chase qualifiers, told his crew, “I gave it all I got, but it wouldn’t turn.”

At the 13:51 mark, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. lost control of the No. 17 Ford and spun into the Turn 1 wall to delay time trials. The Roush Fenway Racing teamwas forced to pull out a backup car. Stenhouse posted the 31st fastest lap.

With 9:08 remaining in the first session, Austin Dillon wheel-hopped into Turn 1, slid out of the groove and into the wall to bring out the second red flag of the session.

“Damn, I’m sorry guys,” Dillon said after he returned to the track. His best lap was 32nd fastest.

Cla	#	Driver	Manufacturer	Time	Gap	Mph
1	78	Martin Truex Jr.	Toyota	19.282		98.206
2	22	Joey Logano	Ford	19.290	0.008	98.165
3	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	19.354	0.072	97.840
4	47	A.J. Allmendinger	Chevrolet	19.376	0.094	97.729
5	24	Chase Elliott	Chevrolet	19.382	0.100	97.699
6	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	19.385	0.103	97.684
7	19	Carl Edwards	Toyota	19.399	0.117	97.613
8	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	19.418	0.136	97.518
9	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	19.420	0.138	97.508
10	88	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	19.436	0.154	97.427