Edwards claims pole at New Hampshire for tomorrow’s Sylvania 300

By qualifying second fastest on Friday, Harvick was required by NASCAR policy to report to the media center in the track’s infield. It all started on a restart after a caution on lap 133 at Chicagoland Speedway.

“Coming from 14th to fourth in five laps was a handful”, said Newman, who advanced to last year’s Championship Round without winning a race. Harvick’s auto was nearly entirely over the white line with Johnson’s. He was running in the top-5 when on a restart on lap 135 that Jimmy Johnson after a push by Joey Logano was on the inside of him on the apron as the two approached turn one.

The on-track incident led to a much-publicized off-track physical confrontation between Johnson and Harvick immediately following the Chicagoland race. Johnson finished the day 11th. “Kentucky Speedway is one of my favorite race tracks to visit, mainly because it’s competitive, a worn out surface and I’ve been able to win here before (in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series)”.

Bringing up the rear is Clint Bowyer, who after a 25-point penalty earlier this week sits 52 points in arrears of Kenseth, and 31 behind Gordon.

In a Q & A with USA Today’s Jeff Gluck before the Chicagoland race, Harvick was asked to give his “preferred method of dealing with an angry driver”. The two were separated and Harvick eventually got into a vehicle and left.

He just has to do his best, if possible, to put what happened last week with Johnson out of his memory. Harvick’s No. 4 Chevrolet would blow a tire – and he blew his top because he felt Johnson could have avoided the contact.

Broke and chasing big dreams, the two drivers born less than three months and 250 miles apart spent many a night crashing on a couch at Ron Hornaday Jr.’s house as they scratched and clawed for a break.

The damage to the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet sent it to the garages and Harvick wound up finishing 42nd.

Johnson, the six-time champ, said he hasn’t talked to Harvick.

Harvick: “I stood my ground and he just slammed into the side of the door like I wasn’t even there”.

“I’ve had this race marked on my calendar for a while”, Custer said. “I can do that myself”.

Edwards claimed his 16th pole in 401 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, the third this season and second in 23 races on the Magic Mile.

Carl Edwards continued Joe Gibbs Racing’s dominance with a lap of 137.980 miles per hour to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup pole Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He has two wins and 18 top 5s this year. I think we go back and prepare and do things we have to do to prepare for each individual race track, and some with a fresh start on Monday. “I think that right front air hurt me in the middle”.

“I think we just do the same thing every week”, Harvick said.

Harvick could have used some MMA pointers from his stable of UFC fighters in his athlete-representation company before he challenged Johnson at Chicagoland.

Jefferson, who played at 289 pounds last season, says he feels incredible. “I can’t see where (Harvick) did anything wrong”. “At the start of my career I was underrated and trying to build confidence and trying to get my opportunity, and when it showed up I wasn’t sure how it was going to go”.

“No, I wasn’t surprised (Harvick) was upset.

Just no speed – I don’t know“, said Kyle Busch, who qualified 17th. “It was just important to me to try and make contact with him and try to talk to him”. Based on experiences that I’ve had in the position that it has put me in.

He also seemed to have a bit of empathy for Harvick.

Not a frightful day of practice that resulted in an terrible starting position for the opening round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

“We’re not going to use you guys to make threats”, he said.

But Kenseth took advantage of the final restart with five laps left and grabbed a fifth-place finish.