NASCAR Cup Series

While some still debate it, anyone involved with NASCAR knows not only is it a sport, but one that involves a unique mixture of physicality, good mechanics and a great deal of mental focus, as well as confidence.

One of my favorite tracks is on deck this week at the Monster Mile. Dover International Speedway sits in the only state to not hold a National Park, but is nothing short of monumental in regards to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

At a track that has been admittedly been monstrous in the past to him, Denny Hamlin pulled off the fastest qualifying lap of his Monster Mile career, scoring his first ever pole at Dover International Speedway.

Denny Hamlin captured the pole for Sunday’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway with a lap of 159.299 mph. “That was an amazing run. Definitely wasn't what I expected, but it sure feels good to get a pole here. Our car was really strong in race trim and really wasn't all that good in qualifying trim. Hopefully, this is a good sign of things that will give us a strong run here on Sunday.” Hamlin said.

1st, DENNY HAMLIN 26th, MARK MARTIN 2nd, CLINT BOWYER 29th, REED SORENSON 3rd, MARTIN TRUEX JR. 33rd, TRAVIS KVAPIL 5th, KYLE BUSCH 37th, JOE NEMECHEK 14th, JOEY LOGANO DNQ, DAVID STREMME 16th, BOBBY LABONTE DNQ, MIKE BLISS 22nd, LANDON CASSILL DNQ, JASON LEFFLER

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, posted the seventh fastest lap for Sunday’s 43rd annual AAA 400. Gordon will be gunning for his fifth win at the “Monster Mile”.

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED SEVENTH YOU AND CREW CHIEF ALAN GUSTAFSON USED A LOT OF BODY LANGUAGE TO DESCRIBE YOUR LAP. WHAT WAS IT LIKE?

MATT KENSETH – No. 17 Ford EcoBoost Ford Fusion – “We struggled a lot yesterday, so it was a good lap. I have no idea where it will stack up, but it was a decent lap to how we have been running. We were so far off yesterday that we never worked on qualifying at all, so that was our first lap in qualifying trim.”

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T) Qualified 10th "A solid run for the Miller Lite Dodge. I took it easy on the first lap; sometimes you have to slow down to go fast at Dover. You really have to commit to your qualifying lap and trust your setup. I feel pretty optimistic about our chances tomorrow. Track position is always key here and we helped ourselves with a good qualifying lap.

Each race weekend, SRT Motorsports provides insight on the ‘Keys for Success’ for the upcoming race. This week SRT Motorsports engineer Howard Comstock discusses the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.