Quals crash sends hopeful Ragan to back of start grid

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- David Ragan sure isn't making it easy on himself or his No. 6 Ford team.

For the second time in three weeks, Ragan will have to go to a backup car after crashing his car during qualifying. Ragan got big-time loose off Turn 4 and couldn't hold it, smacking the wall with both ends of the car after spinning wildly down the front stretch (watch video).

"I just got a little free and I felt like I would have enough track to chase it and just didn't get out of the throttle," Ragan said. "In a normal situation I would have cracked the throttle and just slowed down a little, but I felt like I could hold on for that extra split-second and still get a good lap in.

"Our AAA Ford was fast in practice [seventh overall], so we'll have to put some of the same stuff that worked well in practice on our backup and try to make the best of a bad situation."

For Ragan, it's a big blow. Coming into Bristol, he was tied for 13th place in the driver standings, with Clint Bowyer, just 26 points behind 12th-place Denny Hamlin. His lap at 16.019 seconds, 119.783 mph was good for 27th, but he'll have to drop to the rear at the start [Saturday] night. His average finish at Bristol is 29.3.

Bowyer, on the other hand, made a solid run and was one of three drivers to post the same time and speed -- 15.979 seconds, 120.083 mph. He will start 22nd, trailed by 12th-place driver Hamlin and Aric Almirola.

Bowyer has two top-five and three top-10 finishes in five starts at BMS and his average finish is a respectable 14.3.

Hamlin was the first car out and desperately needed a decent run to protect his lead over Bowyer and Ragan. He timed in at 15.979 seconds, 120.083 mph, two-tenths of a second quicker than he was in practice. "We picked up, so that was good, because we never pick up after practice here," Hamlin said. "It's just so close."

Hamlin, who will start 21st, has a 16.6 average finish at Bristol.

Tony Stewart, sitting at the very top of the Chase Bubble in sixth with a 162-point lead on 13th place, made a calculated move after watching Ragan crash. As the next car out, Stewart and crew chief Greg Zipadelli made the decision to adjust air pressures to tighten up the car just before he went out, and he slowed down by two-tenths of a second.

Smoke's lap at 16.021 seconds, 119.768 mph put him 28th. Stewart has a victory and five top-five runs at Bristol in 19 starts, finishes at a 16.8 clip and has led 1,352 laps in those races.

Loose was the order of the day as two-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson was wicked loose on both of his laps and dirt-tracked his way to a 34th-place start.

For comparison, 81 percent (77 of 95) of the races at Bristol have been won from the top 10, and two on the bubble will be within that when the Sharpie 500 rolls off.

Edwards on pole

Edwards won his first pole position of the season Friday, turning a lap at 121.860 mph in qualifying at Bristol.

• Complete story, click here

Jeff Gordon rebounded from a miserable performance last week at Michigan with a run at 15.842 seconds, 121.121 mph to put his Chevrolet in third at the time. Gordon has five victories at Bristol, has led nearly 2,500 laps and should gain some space over 13th on Saturday. He is currently ninth in points, 82 points ahead of 13th.

Harvick, eighth in points with a 103-point lead on Bowyer and Ragan, put his Chevy into sixth at 15.904 seconds, 120.649 mph. Harvick has a victory, eight top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 15 starts.

Ryan Newman, 211 points out and needing a miracle, will be the best among those outside the top 12. Newman's lap at 15.922 seconds, 120.572 mph, was good for 11th place.

Newman, who holds the track record at 14.908 seconds, has two poles, one top-five and six top-10 finishes in 13 starts at Bristol. His average finish, however, is 21.2.

Martin Truex Jr. needed a solid showing to help his chances, as he sits 201 points out in 16th place, and he got it, running 15.947 seconds at 120.324 mph. That was good for 12th on Saturday. Truex's best finish in five starts at Bristol is 11th, and his average finish is 23.4.

Kasey Kahne, currently 11th in the standings with just 47 points in hand over 13th, put the No. 9 Dodge in 13th at 15.948 seconds, 120.316 mph. Kahne has a top-five finish in nine starts, and his average finish is 18.6.

Biffle, at the upper edge of the bubble in seventh and 145 points up on 13th place, put his Ford into the race at 15.957 seconds, 120.248 mph to earn 14th place. Biffle has a stellar finishing record at BMS, averaging 9.7.

Matt Kenseth, the beneficiary of some wild happenings a week ago that pushed him up to 10th in the points (74 ahead of Bowyer and Ragan), was a touch slower than Hamlin with his lap at 15.990 seconds, 120.000 mph, and will start 25th.

Kenseth is nearly a mortal lock to finish somewhere near the top 10. In 17 starts, Kenseth has 10 finishes of 10th or better, including two victories and seven top-five finishes. His average finish is 12.4.

Brian Vickers, sitting 15th in points and trailing the Chase by 166 points, put his No. 83 Toyota in the field 26th after a lap at 15.994 seconds, 119.970 mph. In eight starts, Vickers' best finish is 12th, and his average finish is 26.4 -- only Ragan's 29.3 is lower.

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