NASCAR Cup Series

MARK MARTIN, No. 55 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing - Starting Position: 4th - How was your qualifying lap? "It's exciting. I'm so fired up and wired up -- it's like crazy. I guess you would say that's exhilarating. That's not the pole, but it sure is fast. I'm really proud because we were okay in practice, but we weren't a pole contender at all and I think there was more in the car there. They found something very last minute, right before it went through tech and made some adjustments on the car. I drove it kind of like I did in practice, which is a little bit hard. I could have drove it a little bit harder than that. Kudos to Rodney Childers (crew chief) and everybody on that Aaron's team. Man, it's fun to drive race cars like that."

For the 13th time this season, drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series set a new track record during qualifying. The top three drivers broke through the old threshold at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) with speeds topping 200 mph. Drivers will take on the ultra-fast, 2-mile speedway on Sunday as they compete in round 23 of the 36-race season. With only four races left until the field is set for the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup, a solid run at MIS this weekend is crucial for many of the Bowtie teams.

KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING/SERTA CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED SECOND - ON HIS QUALIFYING LAP: “If you’re not running on that edge and somebody is going to find that edge and put it right there. It was a really good lap for us and our Furniture Row guys and the way we picked up speed from practice. I was hoping to get a 35.35 and that’s exactly what we ran and we’ll see where that shakes up.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion (Qualified 1st) – “That felt faster that practice. I think it was better than what we had in practice. I don’t know if it will be enough to hold up though. I thought a teen would be what it would take. I think it should hang in the top-five I hope. Track position is really big when you come to Michigan and we have a really good Ford in race trim and I feel like it is really good. I think we have a shot to win this weekend. We have to be smart and play the right strategy but we should be starting up toward the front and hopefully we can stay there most of the day.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion – “The track has a ton of speed in it right now and Michigan is the fastest track we have on the circuit and it is living up to that today. I am sure we are going to see a track record run. Hopefully ours holds up for a solid starting spot. Either way, it’s a pretty good pickup from where we were in practice and we should be in a good spot for Sunday’s race.”