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Martin leads strong Hendrick effort in 'Dega quals

By Sporting News Wire Service
October 22, 2011 8:31 PM, EDT

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If Sunday's Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway goes the same way Saturday's qualifying session did, Rick Hendrick should have an excellent chance to pick up his 200th Sprint Cup victory.

Talladega

Race Lineup

Pos.	Driver	Speed	Time

1.	M. Martin	181.367	52.799
2.	J. Johnson	181.360	52.801
3.	C. Bowyer	181.243	52.835
4.	T. Bayne	181.010	52.903
5.	J. Gordon	180.918	52.930

Lineup | Prac. 1 | Prac. 2

Mark Martin paced four Hendrick cars in the top six starting spots, posting a lap of 181.367 mph (52.799 seconds) to win the pole for the sixth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Martin narrowly edged teammate and five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson (181.360 mph) by two-thousandths of a second.

The Coors Light Pole Award was Martin's second of the season and the 51st of his career, eighth on the all-time list.

"I really want to make sure that I give 100 percent of the credit to, first, the organization of Hendrick Motorsports for the incredible work that they do on restrictor-plate racing cars," Martin said. "But also [crew chief] Lance McGrew and the GoDaddy.com team took the same parts and pieces that the three teammates had and managed to put down just a little bit quicker lap.

Video: Out Front with Miss Coors Light

"It is a competition. Someone asked me [Friday] about the pole, and I said, 'Yes, sir, we're going for it.' It's a competition, too, and we try to win every single competition there is, no matter what it is. Of course, the race is a bigger, more important competition, but this is still for pride -- and I'm proud of my team for the great work they have done."

Daytona 500 winner and Ford driver Trevor Bayne (181.011 mph) qualified fourth as the only non-Chevrolet driver in the top seven. Clint Bowyer will start third after a lap at 181.243 mph. Jeff Gordon (180.918 mph) qualified fifth, followed by Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. (180.905 mph).

Chase leader Carl Edwards will start ninth. Other Chase drivers are as follows: Ryan Newman 10th, Matt Kenseth 11th, Tony Stewart 12th, Kevin Harvick 13th, Kurt Busch 14th, Brad Keselowski 16th, Denny Hamlin 31st and Kyle Busch 34th.

Bayne was delighted to drive the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford at another restrictor-plate track.

"I think that shows how much work the 21 guys put into these cars, and they do a great job on the superspeedways, and the work shows up here," Bayne said. "It's all about speed, and our car has it."

Geoffrey Bodine, Scott Speed, T.J. Bell and Josh Wise failed to qualify for the 43-car field.

Notes-n-Nuggets



• Mark Martin scored his 51st career pole in his 826th start; he ranks eighth on the all-time list.
• Mark Martin scored his third career pole at Talladega in his 48th start; it's his second pole of the season (summer Daytona).
• Mark Martin Was third-fastest in first practice with a time of 48.231 seconds (198.545 mph).
• Mark Martin has eight career wins from the pole.
• Hendrick Motorsports scored its fourth pole of 2011 and 178th career pole, most of all time; it's his sixth pole at 'Dega, tying the Wood Brothers for fifth most.
• Hendrick Motorsports started in the top four at Talladega in April; its four cars will start in the top six this week.
• Chevrolet scored its 11th pole of 2011 and 28th pole at Talladega, both most of all manufacturers.
• Jimmie Johnson (second) won at Talladega after starting second in April.
• Clint Bowyer (third) posted his third top-five start at Talladega; he has finished in the top two in the past two races at 'Dega.
• Trevor Bayne (fourth) posted his second career top-five start; he started second at Daytona in July.
• Jeff Gordon (fifth) posted his 13th top-five start at Talladega in 28 starts; he has six wins at 'Dega, most among active drivers.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. (sixth) has posted top-seven starts in the past four races at Talladega.
• Chase drivers make up 10 of the top-16 starting spots; Denny Hamlin qualified 31st and Kyle Busch 34th.
• Three drivers have started in the top 10 in all four plate races in 2011: Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

-- Powered by Racing Recall

Also

Talladega Lineup

Chase for Sprint Cup Drivers

Pos.	Driver	Make	Speed	Time

2.	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	181.360	52.801
5.	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	180.918	52.930
6.	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	180.904	52.934
9.	Carl Edwards	Ford	180.210	53.138
10.	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	180.203	53.140
11.	Matt Kenseth	Ford	180.197	53.142
12.	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	180.108	53.168
13.	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	180.047	53.186
14.	Kurt Busch	Dodge	179.970	53.209
16.	Brad Keselowski	Dodge	179.831	53.250
31.	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	178.944	53.514
34.	Kyle Busch	Toyota	178.780	53.563

Qualifying the Chasers: 'Dega | Lineup

Sprint Cup Series

Standings

Pos.	+/-	Driver	Points	Behind

1 .	--	Carl Edwards	2203	Leader
2.	--	Kevin Harvick	2198	-5
3.	+2	Matt Kenseth	2196	-7
4.	+4	Kyle Busch	2185	-18
5.	+2	Tony Stewart	2179	-24
6.	-2	Brad Keselowski	2178	-25
7.	-1	Kurt Busch	2176	-27
8.	-5	Jimmie Johnson	2168	-35
9.	--	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	2143	-60
10.	+1	Ryan Newman	2142	-61
11.	-1	Jeff Gordon	2137	-66
12.	--	Denny Hamlin	2117	-86

Complete Standings | Schedule/Results

'Dega: Best 10 Consecutive Laps

Practice 1

Pos.	Driver	From Lap	To Lap	Avg. Speed

1.	R. Smith	6	15	194.879
2.	Ku. Busch	6	15	194.835
3.	C. Bowyer	4	13	194.234
4.	J. Burton	4	13	194.190
4.	J. Burton	5	14	194.190
6.	T. Stewart	3	12	193.990
7.	B. Labonte	3	12	193.948
8.	M. Ambrose	13	22	193.802
9.	A. Allmendinger	13	22	193.759
10.	D. Earnhardt Jr.	14	23	193.746
11.	M. Martin	3	12	193.705
12.	J. Johnson	14	23	193.703
13.	J. Gordon	10	19	193.683
14.	K. Kahne	3	12	193.444
15.	B. Vickers	3	12	193.401
16.	C. Edwards	4	13	193.279
17.	G. Biffle	4	13	193.236
18.	B. Keselowski	15	24	193.020
19.	D. Blaney	15	24	193.019
20.	M. Kenseth	14	23	192.557
21.	D. Ragan	14	23	192.515
22.	D. Hamlin	16	25	192.236
23.	R. Newman	16	25	192.194
24.	P. Menard	3	12	191.376
25.	K. Harvick	3	12	191.372
26.	Ky. Busch	11	20	188.256

Complete Speeds

Happy Hour

Pos.	Driver	From Lap	To Lap	Avg. Speed

1.	J. Logano	2	11	193.707
2.	J. Montoya	2	11	193.703
3.	Ky. Busch	2	11	193.664
4.	J. McMurray	2	11	193.660
5.	D. Reutimann	3	12	193.205
6.	M. Truex Jr.	3	12	193.163
7.	C. Edwards	4	13	192.157
8.	G. Biffle	4	13	192.157
9.	L. Cassill	3	12	191.396
10.	T. Stewart	3	12	191.354
11.	J. Johnson	2	11	186.643
12.	D. Earnhardt Jr.	2	11	186.629
13.	J. Gordon	2	11	186.596
14.	M. Martin	2	11	186.532