Kenseth sets qualifying record for Southern 500

DARLINGTON — Matt Kenseth is not known as a strong qualifier, but it was hard to tell Friday at Darlington Raceway.

Kenseth won the pole for today’s Southern 500 with a speed of 179.514, breaking the track record set by teammate Greg Biffle last season when the track was repaved.

“I didn’t think we would have a shot at the pole, but our car was driving really good,” Kenseth said.

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Kenseth’s record-breaking lap left Ryan Newman, who qualified third, shaking his head.

“It kind of ruffles my feathers a little bit when a guy who can’t qualify that well beats me,” Newman, who’s known for his strong qualifying skill, said in jest. “But I’ll be OK.“

The pole is just Kenseth’s fourth in 339 races. Newman has 43, third most of any active driver behind Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin.

“We’re catching him,” Kenseth said with a laugh. “Another 40 or so and we’ll be caught up with him.

“But, seriously, it was a great lap for us. We had a lot of speed in our car all day for some reason, which is really encouraging.“

Gordon, a seven-time Darlington winner, was second and was followed by Newman, Sam Hornish Jr. and rookie Joey Logano.

Gordon, however, said his lap was anything but an easy one.

“This is a nail-biting, white-knuckle experience,” said Gordon, who’s looking for his record sixth Southern 500 victory. “I came in and very rarely are my hands shaking when I get out of the car. My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking. It was just that kind of experience.

“You’ve got to push really hard here and you’ve got to be committed. It’s a very fine line.“

Drivers struggled all day in practice trying to find that line as they’re still getting adjusted to the slick surface. To make matters worse, heavy rains before qualifying washed away the grip built up during the day.

That might have contributed to Jimmie Johnson’s problems during his lap around the egg-shaped track. The three-time Cup champion struggled for the second straight year on the Lady in Black.

Johnson, who wrecked twice last year in practice, wrecked after he lost control of his car coming off Turn 2. The Hendrick Motorsports driver will have to go to a backup car for today’s race and start 42nd.
“(Crew chief) Chad Knaus’ final words were, ’Go like hell,’ and off I went and didn’t make it back,” a laughing Johnson said. “Unfortunately, I tore up a race car, but we have great backups and we’ll be out there tomorrow night. I’m looking forward to it.“

Tony Stewart, who’s looking for his first Darlington win, qualified 18th. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start 26th.

Jeremy Mayfield and Scott Speed are the only drivers who failed to make the race.