NEWS & STATS
Qualifying Recap: AMP Energy 500
By Brian Polking
October 31, 2009 2:45 PM ET
The rest of the Chasers were having enough trouble keeping up with Jimmie Johnson without Mother Nature lending him a hand. Qualifying was washed out at Talladega Superspeedway, putting the three-time defending champ on the pole at what most consider the biggest obstacle between the No. 48 team and a record fourth straight title. With the field being set by owner points, Hendrick Motorsports claimed the top three spots with Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon starting second and third. Meanwhile, superspeedway stud Tony Stewart along with Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top five. The last pole-sitter to win at Talladega was Jeff Gordon in 2007. Of course at Talladega, it is not about where you start, but where you finish.
In 2000, Dale Earnhardt earned his 76th and final career Cup Series win at Talladega by charging from 18th to first in the final five laps. Needless to say, getting from the back of the pack to the front is more than manageable at NASCAR's longest track. The advent of restrictor plates has taken away some of the importance of track position at superspeedways, and while a majority of race winners have started near the front of the pack, the numbers aren't as one sided as they used to be.
In the last nine, six Talladega winners have started inside the top 10, and three have started outside the top 15. During that span, Jeff Gordon has won from the pole, the second starting spot as well as 34th. Tony Stewart won this race last year from the 34th starting spot, and in April, Brad Keselowski started ninth and went on to win. The bottom line is that you can't rule anyone out based on where they start Sunday.
If you are looking for a real dark horse candidate this weekend you should consider Regan Smith. He is starting dead last tomorrow, but he has never finished worse than 24th in four career starts at the track. Last season, he was the first car to take the checkered flag, but NASCAR eventually black flagged him for passing below the yellow line.
Starting Lineup
| POS | CAR | DRIVER | MAKE | SPONSOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 2 | 5 | Mark Martin | Chevrolet | Pop-Tarts / Carquest |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 4 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | Office Depot / Old Spice |
| 5 | 42 | Juan Montoya | Chevrolet | Target |
| 6 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Dodge | Miller Lite |
| 7 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | U.S. Army |
| 8 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 3M Filtrete |
| 9 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | FedEx Express |
| 10 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Subway |
| 11 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | Budweiser |
| 12 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Toyota | Red Bull |
| 13 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | M&M's |
| 14 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Dewalt |
| 15 | 33 | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet | BB&T |
| 16 | 0 | David Reutimann | Toyota | Aaron's Dream Machine |
| 17 | 47 | Marcos Ambrose | Toyota | Clorox / Kingsford / Little Debbie |
| 18 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | Caterpillar |
| 19 | 7 | Casey Mears | Chevrolet | Jack Daniel's |
| 20 | 20 | Joey Logano | Toyota | Home Depot |
| 21 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Shell / Pennzoil |
| 22 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Ford | Irwin Marathon Saw Blades |
| 23 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops / Tracker |
| 24 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | Amp Energy "Get on the 88" / National Guard |
| 25 | 44 | A.J. Allmendinger | Dodge | Best Buy |
| 26 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Ford | Stanley |
| 27 | 77 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Dodge | Mobil 1 |
| 28 | 6 | David Ragan | Ford | UPS |
| 29 | 43 | Reed Sorenson | Dodge | Liberty Medical |
| 30 | 12 | David Stremme | Dodge | Penske Racing |
| 31 | 96 | Erik Darnell | Ford | Academy Sports + Outdoors |
| 32 | 98 | Paul Menard | Ford | Zecol / Menards |
| 33 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | Toyota | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 34 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Toyota | Jim Beam |
| 35 | 34 | John Andretti | Chevrolet | Window World |
| 36 | 9 | Brad Keselowski | Chevrolet | Miccosukee Resort & Gaming |
| 37 | 171 | Bobby Labonte | Chevrolet | TaxSlayer.com |
| 38 | 82 | Scott Speed | Toyota | Red Bull |
| 39 | 187 | Joe Nemechek | Toyota | NEMCO Motorsports |
| 40 | 66 | Dave Blaney | Toyota | Prism Motorsports |
| 41 | 36 | Robert Richardson Jr. | Toyota | Mahindra Tractors |
| 42 | 113 | Max Papis | Toyota | GEICO |
| 43 | 78 | Regan Smith | Chevrolet | Furniture Row Companies |
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