Hamlin Steals Pole In Cup Qualifying At Homestead

It’s only Friday, but after qualifying for Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it’s advantage Kyle Busch.

And he’ll quickly admit that making it to the Championship Round and racing against three other drivers (Kevin Harvick, Kyle Bush and Martin Truex Jr.) for the Chase title is something he never quite imagined for his retirement year.

“I need three clutch laps like that to close out this race on Sunday”, said Gordon, who will try to win his fifth championship in the final race of his career.

With four championships already on his resume, the driver known as the “Rainbow Warrior” hopes to ride off into the south Florida sunset as the 2015 Sprint Cup champion. Busch was third, Gordon was fifth, Truex 11th and defending series champion Harvick was 13th.

Gordon has planned to continue his presence in the NASCAR racing circuit by joining the broadcast media crew during the 2016 season.

“But I can’t think of a better place I’d want to compete for the overall title”, he added. He was miffed that Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Harvick and Kurt Busch ran 1-2 in the first qualifying group, and he was more than 5 miles per hour slower. Hopefully I have a long career in this and this is one season and a season we are proud of.

Truex has hardly slithered into the finale, though, finishing in the top 10 in five of the nine Chase for the Sprint Cup championship races. ” Hamlin said after qualifying, “If my auto stays this way through Sunday, we hope to and should be able to lead all the laps”.

Martin Truex Jr.is a good underdog this week because he doesn’t resent being called an underdog. Gordon needed to squeeze in an extra run at the end of the first round to advance in the knockout format after his first attempt left him outside the top 24. “I am happy with the way we’ve got it right now”.

“For us to get an extension on our contract with (Mars) and then to get Kyle wrapped up in that, it’s a huge deal for us”, Gibbs said. “(The car) is just a pile of crap”, Stewart said.

Of course, I would also say Victory Junction (a free camp for children with health-care needs built on 84 acres in Randleman, founded in honor of Adam Petty). As you get later into your years as a person, and I think a lot of athletes probably feel this way, that you realize the opportunity that you were given and that you know others helped you get there. “But for us really qualifying hasn’t been our strong suit on these type tracks”.

Harvick’s disappointing qualifying run might not mean anything. I thought 11th was a decent effort. “But it is what it is and we move on”. “But all in all, it’s not about where you start here”. “You know, we just never really recovered from what we did in the first round to make it repeat”.

“It’s really no different than any other week”, Harvick said. “There’s nice multiple grooves but I started on the pole here previous year and I know that kept us in the game and up front in a big way. I can’t imagine anything more emotional and more exciting and more gratifying than looking my wife in the eyes and seeing her reaction when the race is over if we win it”. And you could have retired by betting him in and Jimmie Johnson out on a two-way card.