Tony Stewart set a new track record (for that matter, 11 drivers bettered the old mark) today at Martinsville Speedway and took the Bud Pole for Sunday’s Subway 500 with a time of 19.306 (98.083 mph). This is the 3rd top-spot of the season for Tony and the 9th of his NEXTEL Cup career.
Ricky Rudd will join Stewart on the front row. This is Ricky’s best starting spot since he had the outside pole at Talladega in October of 2004.
Rusty Wallace (3rd) has his best starting spot since he lined up 3rd at Bristol in April.
Denny Hamlin (5th) has his career-best (albeit only three races) starting spot this weekend. His previous best was 7th two weeks ago at Kansas.
Jeremy Mayfield (7th) has his best starting spot since he qualififed on the outside pole at The Brickyard in August.
Jeff Green (11th) has his best starting spot since he lined up 6th at Bristol in April.
Kyle Petty (13th) has his best starting spot since he qualified 10th at Richmond in September of 2003.
Welcome Back Derrike Cope (38th). This is Derrike’s first Cup start since Richmond in September of 2004, and his best start since he lined up 38th at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May of 2004.
STREAKIN….Tony Stewart has 5 Top-10 starts in the last 6 races.
Jimmie Johnson has 5 Top-10 starts in the last 6 races.
Elliott Sadler has 5 Top-10 starts in the last 6 races.
Ryan Newman has 4 Top-10 starts in the last 5 races.
This is our final short-track event (and the only one in the “Chase) of the season. If you recall Bristol and Richmond, there may still be a few drivers who figure they’ve got some payback coming…..you can bet NASCAR’s gonna be watching a little closer than usual this weekend.(StockCarFans.com)(10-21-2005)
