Qualifying for the Irwin Tools Night Race

Date: Aug. 24, 2012
Event: Irwin Tools Night Race Qualifying (Round 24 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Pole Winner: None, qualifying canceled due to rain (field set via fastest lap turned during Friday’s practice session)
Kyle Busch: 10th

Rain canceled today’s qualifying session for the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. As a result, the 43-car field for Saturday night’s 500-lap race around the .533-mile concrete oval was set by taking the fastest lap each driver posted during Friday’s practice session, per the NASCAR rulebook.

As a result, Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) will start 10th. His quick time in practice was 15.767 seconds at 121.697 mph.

Busch’s JGR teammates – Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Toyota Camry, and Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Toyota Camry – will start fourth and eighth, respectively.

Logano’s fast lap in practice was 15.728 seconds at 121.999 mph, while Hamlin’s best lap was 15.752 seconds at 121.813 mph.

Casey Mears will start first as he posted the fastest speed in Friday’s practice session with a lap of 15.701 seconds at 122.209 mph. Joining him on the outside of row one is Brad Keselowski, who clocked in at 15.707 seconds at 122.162 mph. Greg Biffle (15.712 seconds at 122.123 mph), Logano and Aric Almirola (15.728 seconds at 121.999 mph) comprise the remainder of the top-five. While Logano and Almirola both ran the exact same time, Logano’s 18th-place point standing gives him the tiebreaker, as Almirola is 21st in points.

Forty-seven drivers were slated to qualify for the 43-car field. The four drivers who will not start the event are Scott Speed, Kelly Bires, Reed Sorenson, and J.J. Yeley.

The Irwin Tools Night Race gets underway at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with a pre-race show at 7 p.m.