On the grid
- Updated: October 22, 2016
Martin Truex Jr. wins the pole for the Hellmann’s 500, calls pre-qualifying drama ‘not a big issue’
Brad Keselowski had the second-fastest qualifying time for Sunday’s Hellmann’s 500. Keselowski has won the last two restrictor-plate races, including the spring race at Talladega. (Photo by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
TALLADEGA — In the end, hours after it surfaced, Martin Truex Jr. called the controversy that clouded his first Talladega pole “nonsense.”
But for a few anxious moments there was a story circulating Talladega Superspeedway that, if true, could have threatened Truex’ hopes to stay alive in the Sprint Cup chase.
Truex won the pole for Sunday’s Hellmann’s 500 with a fast lap of 193.423 mph. The run came after NASCAR confiscated the jack bolts from the front left side of his Toyota in pre-qualifying inspection. It was thought the team could face a points penalty, but NASCAR officials said one was unlikely.
Truex had one of the fastest cars in practice with the bolts in question and clearly was the fastest in qualifying without them.
It was explained the team inserted a smaller screw changing a spring that lowered the car’s center of gravity in that area. Team officials said it was not intentional.
“All the crazy talk going on today I think is nonsense,” Truex said. “You can speculate on things and don’t really know what they are. The jack bolt issue is really not a big deal; it’s not hollow like what was reported. They didn’t take both; they took just the left front. It’s not a big issue. It was a parts manufacturing issue. No big deal at all.”
NASCAR also pulled three Joe Gibbs cars – Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth — out of pre-qualifying inspection after noticing some manipulation of the right rear quarter panels. The issue was corrected and the car went back through inspection.
Kenseth qualified third, Hamlin eighth and Busch 14th. All three are among the 12 Chasers, as is Truex. Four drivers will be eliminated after Sunday’s race.
It was Truex’ 11th Sprint Cup pole and fourth this season. Brad Keselowski qualified second.
“We built a brand new car to come here and it’s awesome to be the fastest guy in town,” Truex said. “We really haven’t qualified well at the restrictor plate tracks the past few years and to come here with a brand new car and be able to do that says a lot.”
Austin Dillon might need some help to get through to the next round of the Sprint Cup Chase. (Photo by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)
HELLMANN’S 500
STARTING LINEUP
ROW 1
(78) Martin Truex Jr. 193.423, (2) Brad Keselowski 193.365
ROW 2
(20) Matt Kenseth 193.189, (24) Chase Elliott 193.166
ROW 3
(16) Greg Biffle 193.123, (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 192.166
ROW 4
(14) Kurt Busch 192.746, (11) Denny Hamlin 192.610
ROW 5
(3) Austin Dillon 192.177, (27) Paul Menard 192.123
ROW 6
(6) Trevor Bayne 192.039, (55) Reed Sorenson 188.300
ROW 7
(19) Carl Edwards 192.131, (18) Kyle Busch 192.039
ROW 8
(21) Ryan Blaney 192.039, (22) Joey Logano 192.012
ROW 9
(48) Jimmie Johnson 191.704, (99) Ryan Reed 191.700
ROW 10
(88) Alex Bowman 191.627, (31) Ryan Newman 191.466
ROW 11
(14) Tony Stewart 190.962, (4) Kevin Harvick 190.768
ROW 12
(1) Jamie McMurray 190.393, (42) Kyle Larson 190.162
ROW 13
(44) Brian Scott 190.026, (43) Aric Almirola 190.004
ROW 14
(5) Kasey Kahne 189.891, (13) Casey Mears 189.755
ROW 15
(7) Regan Smith 189.688, (10) Danica Patrick 189.643
ROW 16
(38) Landon Cassill 189.612, (47) A.J. Allmendinger 189.515
ROW 17
(34) Chris Buescher 189.242, (95) Michael McDowell 188.775
ROW 18
(93) Matt DiBenedetto 188.419, (15) Clint Bowyer 188.086
ROW 19
(46) Michael Annett 187.993, (32) Bobby Labonte 187.368
ROW 20
(83) Jeffrey Earnhardt 186.765, (23) David Ragan 187.358
Kyle Busch qualified 14th after NASCAR pulled three Joe Gibbs cars out of inspection to correct some body manipulation. (Photo by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)
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