NASCAR Cup Series

It is not strange to see Jimmie Johnson at the front of the field at Martinsville Speedway so it should be no surprise that the driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet won the pole, breaking the track record. Johnson clocked in a lap of 19.244 seconds, 98.400 mph, for the 30th pole of his career, first of 2013.

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 55 Jet Edge Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing - Starting Position: 3rd - How was your lap? "I don't know that I did. I don't know that I didn't, but I don't know that I did. You're kind of scratching your head like, 'Man, could I have got a little more out of it?' It's so tight here at Martinsville."

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, set a new track record with a time of 19.244 seconds and average speed of 98.400 mph in the first race at the 0.526-mile Martinsville Speedway short track for the Gen-6 Chevrolet SS race car.

BRAD KESELOWSKI – No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion – “I think we’ve had OK speed since we’ve been here. I was hoping for a little bit more and I’m optimistic we can find it come Sunday. It’s been a solid year so far and I think everybody that follows the sport on a regular basis knows how I feel about all that stuff, so I’m just anxious to get a win early in the year and I feel like Martinsville is a good place to do that."

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CHILDRESS INSTITUTE FOR PEDIATRIC TRAUMA CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Martinsville Speedway and discussed racing at Martinsville, blocking and other topics.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER - YOU WERE FASTEST IN PRACTICE AND NOW FASTEST IN QUALIFYING. WHEN YOU ARRIVED HERE THIS MORNING, WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU HAD SUCH A GOOD RACE CAR?

On a day when six drivers broke the track record, Jimmie Johnson was the fastest of the fast, winning the pole position for Sunday’s STP® Gas Booster™ 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

JOEY LOGANO – No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Fusion – “Todd Gordon and all the guys did a good job on this Shell/Pennzoil Ford getting it better for me than what we had in practice. In practice there were some things that I could have done better, but we just worked as a team and made it a little better. I’m pretty sure it’s not gonna hold up, but it’s gonna be better than where we were in practice. Having a decent starting spot here really means a lot.”

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch is coming to the Richmond area, and fans are invited to participate in a public Q&A event and limited autograph session this Monday, April 8 at the Mechanicsville TGI Friday’s.

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS, met with media and discussed racing at Martinsville, aggressive driving, Grandfather clock trophies, driver feuds, and more.