Joey Logano wins first career Sprint Cup pole in qualifying for Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway

By Jeff Owens

Friday, March 19, 2010

Joey Logano talks with his crew after winning the pole in NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying at Bristol.

Sam Cranston
NASCAR Illustrated

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BRISTOL, Tenn. – Joe Gibbs Racing’s Joey Logano won his first career Sprint Cup pole Friday, taking the top starting spot for Sunday’s Food City 500 with a speed of 124.630 mph at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Penske Racing’s Kurt Busch, a five-time winner at Bristol, qualified second at 123.857 mph.

Logano was fastest in practice earlier Friday.

“To back up what we did in practice was key for us,” Logano said. “The car was quite a bit freer than we had it in practice. … That was a big deal for us, to get our first pole. I never thought it would come here.”

Rounding out the top 10 were Dave Blaney (Prism Motorsports), Jimmie Johnson (Hendrick Motorsports), Jeff Gordon (Hendrick), Juan Pablo Montoya (Earnhardt Ganassi Racing), Matt Kenseth (Roush Fenway Racing), Carl Edwards (Roush Fenway), Marcos Ambrose (JTG Daugherty Racing) and Dave Reutimann (Michael Waltrip Racing).

Seven drivers outside the top 35 in owner points qualified for the race on speed, including Blaney. The others were Aric Almirola (Phoenix Racing), Scott Speed (Red Bull Racing), Casey Mears (Keyed-Up Motorsports), Joe Nemechek (Nemco Motorsports), Michael Waltrip (Prism), and Terry Cook (Whitney Motorsports). The race Sunday will be the first this season for Mears and Cook.

Bobby Labonte, who spun earlier in the day in practice and had to go to a backup car, made the field with a champion’s provisional.

Missing the race were Max Papis (Germain Racing) and Mike Bliss (Tommy Baldwin Racing). Papis wrecked on his qualifying lap.