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Front Row Motorsports Irwin Tools Night Race Qualifying Report |
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Track: Bristol Motor Speedway, .533-mile oval, Bristol, Tenn.
Pole Winner: Ryan Newman
Pole Time: 15.624 seconds
Pole Speed: 122.811 miles per hour
TV/Radio: SPEED/PRN/SIRIUSXM
No. 34 "Thanks, Bristol Fans" Ford Qualifying Position: 17th
No. 38 Long John Silver's Ford Qualifying Position: 33rd
One of the most anticipated race events of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season has arrived: the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Activity for the two-day show at the bullring got under way Friday with two practice sessions before the cars ran qualifying laps late in the afternoon. Bristol is a favorite track of both David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil, and it showed. Both teams found pretty good speed in practice, with Gilliland finishing the second session seventh on the speed chart and Kvapil 15th.
Qualifying brought a cooler, faster track and even a few raindrops, but not enough to delay or disrupt the session. Gilliland and the No. 34 team turned in their best qualifying effort of the season, earning the 17th spot for Saturday night's race. Kvapil's No. 38 team was among the fastest of the cars that had to make the race on speed, qualifying 33rd.
Ryan Newman won his second pole of the season, with Carl Edwards earning the outside pole. T.J. Bell, J.J. Yeley and Jeff Green failed to qualify for the event.
Fans who purchased a special Front Row Motorsports ticket package to Saturday night's race will get to meet Gilliland and Kvapil at a race-day meet-and-greet. They'll also get to see their names on the hood of Gilliland's No. 34 car under a "Thanks, Bristol Fans" banner. The Irwin Tools Night Race begins at 7:30pm with full coverage on ABC. |
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David Gilliland |
Comments from No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford team driver David Gilliland after qualifying at Bristol:
"It was a little free, but Peter (crew chief Peter Sospenzo) and the guys did a good job. We worked on all race trim stuff today, just a couple little 'half' qualifying runs. I feel really good about our car. Bristol is just one of those tracks where we can do good with what we've got, and I'm excited. I can't wait for tomorrow night."
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Travis Kvapil |
Comments from No. 38 Long John Silver's Ford team driver Travis Kvapil after qualifying at Bristol:
"I feel pretty relieved. We were actually not a really good racecar off the truck. The guys put two completely different set-ups underneath me in practice and we finally got some good speed for it at the end of practice. This is one of my favorite tracks and I think we can race pretty good tomorrow night. We just had to get it through today and we did that." |
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About Front Row Motorsports:
Front Row Motorsports is a Statesville, N.C.-based race team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Formed in 2005 by restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, the team has competed in NASCAR racing in each year since its inception, expanding full-time to the premier Sprint Cup Series in 2009. The team partners with Ford Racing and Roush-Yates Racing Engines to field the No. 34 Taco Bell Ford driven by David Gilliland, the No. 38 Long John Silver's Ford driven by Travis Kvapil and the No. 55 Front Row Motorsports Ford driven by J. J. Yeley.
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