Kansas 400 Qualifying Update

Kansas Speedway -- 09/28/08

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Sunday Sep 28 2008 1:01am

The "Camping World RV 400" is race No. 29 of the 36-race Sprint Cup Race season and race No. 3 of the 10-race Chase for the Championship.

The race has had a typical weekend Cup schedule, with a Friday morning practice, followed by qualifying Friday afternoon, and two subsequent Saturday practices.

The top five in each of the three practices were as follows:
First practice: Martin Truex Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Juan Pablo Montoya, Elliott Sadler.

Second practice: Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, David Ragan.

Third practice: Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick.

Qualifying, on the other hand, was rather atypical, with the original pole sitter's time disqualified, and the 12 Chase contenders scattered through the field from the pole to 41st place on an owner's provisional.

Juan Pablo Montoya was originally credited with a pole run, the first of his career, with a 172.150 mile per hour, 31.368 second lap. Montoya's car failed post-race tech, however, with more gas pressure in the rear shock than the 75 pounds per square inch that NASCAR allows.

As a result, Jimmie Johnson, last year's polesitter, moved to P1 with Mark Martin (+2200) starting on the outside pole for the second week in a row. Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler and Martin Truex Jr. (+2850) round out the top 5.

Then, it's Paul Menard starting 6th, Bill Elliott, 7th, Kasey Kahne (+3500), 8th, Brian Vickers (+3500), 9th, and Casey Mears, 10th.

Here are the starting positions of the 12 Chase drivers from highest to lowest, with current betting nascar odds also indicated.

1 - Jimmie Johnson +400
3 - Matt Kenseth +700
11 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. +1200
13 - Jeff Gordon +1350 (Jeff is not feeling well this weekend)
18 - Greg Biffle +500
24 - Clint Bowyer +4000 (Wants to win in front of hometown fans)
27 - Kyle Busch +800
30 - Denny Hamlin +2500 (Won the NWS race)
34 - Carl Edwards +425 (Considers this his home track)
36 - Kevin Harvick +1800 (Strong in NWS race)
37 - Jeff Burton +3500
41 - Tony Stewart +1450 (Needed owner's provisional to make field)

Statistically, only one of seven races at Kansas has been won from the pole - Joe Nemechek in 2004 - and just two of seven (29%) have been won from a top-5 starting spot. Tony Stewart came from farthest back, 21st place, to win in 2006.

In terms of pit selections, Jimmie Johnson chose first and took pit stall No. 1. Mark Martin chose second and took pit stall No. 28, the last one with an opening in front of it before the start-finish line. Though pit road here is not overly narrow, look for pit road speeding penalties to bite a few drivers, possibly even a Chase contender.

The only driver who ran in the top 10 in all three practices as well as qualifying was Jimmie Johnson. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart both practiced in the top 10 in all three sessions, but Earnhardt qualified 11th and Stewart 41st.

In Happy Hour, however, eight of the top 10 cars were Chasers, including:

1 - Greg Biffle
2 - Matt Kenseth
3 - Carl Edwards
4 - Jeff Gordon
5 - Kevin Harvick
6 - Jimmie Johnson
8 - Dale Earnhardt Jr.
9 - Tony Stewart

Mark Martin was 7th and Kurt Busch (+6000), 10th, with Chase driver Jeff Burton just outside the top 10 at 11th.

A number of factors will come into play Sunday, including which organizations have the best handle on the COT in its first Kansas race, which drivers adjust their lines to take advantage of the multiple racing grooves, and which crew chiefs call the best race in terms of pit strategy.