The Joe Gibbs Racing Qualifying Report Presented by Interstate Batteries
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Lenox Industrial Tools 301
Date: June 27, 2008
Event: Lenox Industrial Tools 301 (Round 17 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1.058-mile oval)
Pole Winner: Patrick Carpentier of Gillett Evernham Motorsports (29.349 seconds at 129.776 mph)
JGR Lineup: Denny Hamlin (12th, 29.641 seconds at 128.498 mph)
Kyle Busch (27th, 29.807 seconds at 127.782 mph)
Tony Stewart (28th, 29.819 seconds at 127.731 mph)
Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota, led the three-car Joe Gibbs Racing contingent in time trials at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon by qualifying 12th for Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Hamlin turned a lap of 29.641 seconds at 128.498 mph on the 1.058-mile oval.
“It was a good pick up (from practice) for our FedEx Ground Toyota,” said Hamlin, won at New Hampshire in July 2007. “All we could ask for was to pick up, because we usually lose time when it comes to qualifying. We’ll definitely take this effort and move on to the race.”
Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates – Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota and Tony Stewart in the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota – qualified 27th and 28th, respectively. Busch turned a lap of 29.807 seconds at 127.782 mph, while Stewart stopped the clocks in 29.819 seconds at 127.731 mph.
“It was a disadvantage going out while it was raining on our first attempt, and a disadvantage being the first car out after the rain delay because of how much the rain and the jet drying changed the race track,” said Busch, who won at New Hampshire in July 2006. “Still, regardless of our luck on the qualifying draw, the Interstate Batteries Toyota just wasn’t where we needed it to be. We have a lot of work ahead of us tomorrow in practice to get ready for Sunday.”
“When we went to do our qualifying runs (in practice), we switched over a little earlier than normal and that got us a chance to probably make two more runs than we normally would have made,” said Stewart, who won at New Hampshire in July 2000 and July 2005. “As the end of practice came, that gave us a chance to just get The Home Depot Toyota better than waiting too long like we normally do. It didn’t really show up there with our qualifying lap, but overall, I think the car is pretty good.”
Rookie and former Champ Car driver Patrick Carpentier captured his first career pole with a time of 29.349 seconds at 129.776 mph. Former JGR driver Bobby Labonte will start alongside Carpentier on the outside of row one, as he timed in at 29.512 seconds at 129.059 mph. Kevin Harvick (29.531 seconds at 128.976 mph) was third, while Scott Riggs (29.531 seconds at 128.976 mph) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (29.552 seconds at 128.885 mph) rounded out the top-five.
Forty-five drivers attempted to qualify for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301. Those not making the cut in the 43-car field were Tony Raines and Marcos Ambrose.
As far as manufacturers went, Dodge swept the front row via the runs made by Carpentier and Labonte. Chevrolet was next best at the hands of Harvick. Ford was the third-fastest make thanks to ninth-quick Matt Kenseth (29.612 seconds at 128.624). And carrying the flag for Toyota was 10th-quick A.J. Allmendinger (29.612 seconds at 128.624 mph).
The Lenox Industrial Tools 301 gets underway at 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday with live, high-definition coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 12:30 p.m. The race will also be broadcast on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 128.
