NASCAR Cup Series

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 RHEEM CHEVROLET – FINISHED 2ND: YOU HAD TO SAVE A WHOLE LOT OF FUEL AND THEN GO AFTER DENNY HAMLIN (WINNER) IN THE END. WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY? I HAVE A FEELING THERE’S A BIG PICTURE IN THIS “Well, just to finish second racing for a win at a place we ran 25th or 30th or whatever we ran here last year;"

GREG BIFFLE, No. 16 3M Ford Fusion (Finished ) – PIT LANE INTERVIEW “It started out really loose and then we would go dead right. We got the balance much better toward the end of that race and got some track position. "

Regan Smith was holding on to the pole with two cars remaining in Saturday’s qualifying session at Phoenix International Raceway. But then Mark Martin and Tony Stewart both ran quicker laps, dropping Smith to a third-place starting spot for Sunday’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 Sprint Cup race.

After the fiasco in Florida last week, I am happy we’re heading to a place that averages just 12 days of rain the entire year. Not counting my chickens before they hatch here, March, historically has been the wettest out of any month.

Tony Stewart Leads the Way for Team Chevy in Qualifying at Phoenix International Raceway

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/MOBIL 1, QUALIFIED 2ND: TELL US ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING LAP OUT THERE: “It actually wasn’t bad. Everybody was loose and we tightened up and got a little too tight. It is still a really good run for the Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy. It is a good starting spot, just where we need to be.”

MARK MARTIN, No. 55 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Qualified: 1st How does it feel to get your 52nd career pole? "I can't say enough for MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing), Aaron's and my team giving me such great Toyotas. "

A.J. Allmendinger (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T) Qualified 15th “It was okay. You know I messed the first lap up pretty bad and at that point the second lap was just survival. "

Greg Biffle, No. 16 3M Ford Fusion (Qualified 7th) – “Oh man. My car is so fast it isn’t even funny. I never got loose and my car was flat stuck out there. I guess I just ran higher than everybody has been running down there and I got in the gray."

53 year old Mark Martin took the pole for Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500 away from Regan Smith with just one driver remaining to the applause of the fans at Phoenix International Raceway.