TUMS Fast Relief 500 Qualifying
Date: Oct. 26, 2012
Event: TUMS Fast Relief 500 Qualifying (Round 33 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Pole Winner: Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports (19.402 seconds at 97.598 mph)
Kyle Busch: 3rd (19.436 seconds at 97.427 mph
Kyle Busch qualified third for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) turned a lap of 19.436 seconds at 97.427 mph on the .526- mile oval.
“That was a good lap for us,” said Busch after recording his 14th top-five starting spot of the season. “I wish I’d gotten a little more out of it, but anytime you can beat your time in practice then you’ve done better and that’s good. The guys gave me a great car. I think the M&M’s Halloween Camry is pretty good this weekend. Looking forward to the race here Sunday. It’s always a good day when you can qualify here in the top-five or top-six.”
Busch’s JGR teammates – Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Toyota Camry and Joey Logano in the No. 20 Toyota Camry – qualified fifth and 14th, respectively. Hamlin turned a lap of 19.445 seconds at 97.382 mph, while Logano stopped the clock in 19.541 seconds at 96.904 mph.
Jimmie Johnson captured his 28th career Sprint Cup pole, his third of the season and his second at Martinsville by posting a lap of 19.402 seconds at 97.598 mph.
Brian Vickers will start on the outside of row one after turning a lap of 19.415 seconds at 97.533 mph. Busch was third, while Jeff Burton (19.443 seconds at 97.392 mph) and Hamlin rounded out the top-five.
Forty-five drivers attempted to qualify for the TUMS Fast Relief 500. Those not making the cut in the 43-car field were Mike Bliss and J.J. Yeley.
Chevrolet took the top spot among manufacturers via Johnson’s pole run. Toyota was next best at the hands of Vickers. Ford was the third fastest make thanks to sixth-quick Matt Kenseth (19.467 seconds at 97.272 mph). Sam Hornish Jr., qualified 27th (19.669 seconds at 96.273 mph) to carry the flag for Dodge.
The TUMS Fast Relief 500 gets underway at 1:30 p.m. EDT Sunday, with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with a pre-race show at 1 p.m.
