Pure Michigan 400 Qualifying Report
Date: Aug. 17, 2012
Event: Pure Michigan 400 Qualifying (Round 23 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (2-mile oval)
Pole Winner: Mark Martin of Michael Waltrip Racing (36.053 seconds at 199.706 mph)
Kyle Busch: 23rd, 37.248 seconds at 193.299 mph
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), qualified 23rd for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race by turning a lap of 37.248 seconds at 193.299 mph during time trials at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.
“Our Camry was really loose,” said Busch, who is the defending winner of the Pure Michigan 400, his only Sprint Cup win at the 2-mile oval. “We were just too loose on our lap and I almost got into the fence in (turn) two. I couldn’t get the throttle down as good as I needed. Our car was better in race trim, so we’ll work on it in the morning and get our racecar where we want it for Sunday.”
Busch’s JGR teammates – Joey Logano in the No. 20 Toyota Camry and Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Toyota Camry – qualified 16th and 21st, respectively. Logano turned a lap of 36.641 seconds at 196.501 mph, while Hamlin stopped the clock in 36.743 seconds at 195.956 mph.
Mark Martin captured his 55th career Sprint Cup pole, his fourth of the season and his first at Michigan by posting a lap of 36.053 seconds at 199.706 mph.
Carl Edwards will start on the outside of row one as he timed in at 36.249 seconds at 198.626 mph. Jimmie Johnson was third (36.283 seconds at 198.440 mph), while Matt Kenseth (36.330 seconds at 198.183 mph) and Kasey Kahne (36.386 seconds at 197.878 mph) rounded out the top-five.
Forty-five drivers attempted to qualify for the Pure Michigan 400. Those not making the cut in the 43-car field were Stephen Leicht and J.J. Yeley.
As far as manufacturers went, Toyota took the top spot via Martin’s pole run. Ford was next best at the hands of Edwards. Chevrolet was the third-fastest make thanks to Johnson, while 17th-quick Parker Kligerman (36.688 seconds at 196.249 mph) carried the flag for Dodge.
The Pure Michigan 400 gets underway at 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 19 with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with a pre-race show at noon.
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