CONCORD, NC – Although he’s still recovering from a serious back injury that kept him off the track for a few weeks nothing was going to keep Denny Hamlin from winning the pole for Sunday’s Coca Cola 600. Hamlin turned the track at 195.624 mph, a new track record for the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The Thursday night qualifying session saw the former track record of 193.708 beaten eight times. This marked the second pole of the season for Hamlin, who is back on the track for only the second points race since breaking his back in a crash earlier this season at AAA Speedway in California.
The Busch brothers – Kurt and Kyle took turns setting the pace and it appeared that Kurt Busch would win the pole until Hamlin rolled his Fed Ex Toyota out 39th of the 44 drivers who qualified. Kurt Busch will start Sunday’s race on the outside of row one. Hamlin’s teammate, Matt Kenseth was third fastest. Michael Waltrip Racing teammates, Mark Martin and Clint Bowyer were fourth and fifth.
Defending 600 Champion, Kasey Kahne was sixth, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman rounded out the top ten.
Jimmie Johnson qualified twelfth, while defending points champion, Brad Keslowski was twentieth.
Sunday’s race is the longest of the year at 600 miles.
| Starting Lineup | |||||
| Coca-Cola 600, Charlotte | |||||
| http://www.speedwaymedia.com/cup/qual.php?race=12 | |||||
| =========================================== | |||||
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Make | Speed | Time |
| =========================================== | |||||
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 195.624 | 27.604 |
| 2 | 78 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | 195.221 | 27.661 |
| 3 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Toyota | 195.094 | 27.679 |
| 4 | 55 | Mark Martin | Toyota | 194.595 | 27.75 |
| 5 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | 194.503 | 27.763 |
| 6 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | 194.349 | 27.785 |
| 7 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 194.238 | 27.801 |
| 8 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 193.952 | 27.842 |
| 9 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | 193.694 | 27.879 |
| 10 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | 193.639 | 27.887 |
| 11 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | 193.444 | 27.915 |
| 12 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 193.292 | 27.937 |
| 13 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | 193.271 | 27.94 |
| 14 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 192.961 | 27.985 |
| 15 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 192.52 | 28.049 |
| 16 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chevrolet | 192.287 | 28.083 |
| 17 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | 192.191 | 28.097 |
| 18 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 192.13 | 28.106 |
| 19 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Ford | 192.123 | 28.107 |
| 20 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 191.884 | 28.142 |
| 21 | 13 | Casey Mears | Ford | 191.884 | 28.142 |
| 22 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevrolet | 191.727 | 28.165 |
| 23 | 36 | JJ Yeley | Chevrolet | 190.988 | 28.274 |
| 24 | 10 | Danica Patrick # | Chevrolet | 190.826 | 28.298 |
| 25 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | 190.792 | 28.303 |
| 26 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | 190.665 | 28.322 |
| 27 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | 190.49 | 28.348 |
| 28 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | Toyota | 190.416 | 28.359 |
| 29 | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | 190.409 | 28.36 |
| 30 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # | Ford | 190.241 | 28.385 |
| 31 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | 190.047 | 28.414 |
| 32 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 189.967 | 28.426 |
| 33 | 7 | Dave Blaney | Chevrolet | 189.793 | 28.452 |
| 34 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | Toyota | 189.401 | 28.511 |
| 35 | 34 | David Ragan | Ford | 189.049 | 28.564 |
| 36 | 51 | Regan Smith(i) | Chevrolet | 188.725 | 28.613 |
| 37 | 95 | Scott Speed | Ford | 188.659 | Owner Points |
| 38 | 83 | David Reutimann | Toyota | 188.383 | Owner Points |
| 39 | 30 | David Stremme | Toyota | 188.265 | Owner Points |
| 40 | 32 | Timmy Hill # | Ford | 188.114 | Owner Points |
| 41 | 87 | Joe Nemechek(i) | Toyota | 188.081 | Owner Points |
| 42 | 33 | Landon Cassill(i) | 188.075 | Owner Points | |
| 43 | 35 | Josh Wise(i) | Ford | 186.406 | Owner Points |
