Samsung 500 Qualifying Update

Texas Motor Speedway -- 04/5/2009

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Saturday Apr 4 2009 10:16pm

If you watched Saturday’s Nationwide Series race, I bet I know what you’re thinking -- you’re hoping that tomorrow’s Cup race will be a little (okay, a lot!) more exciting than today’s race was.

Kyle Busch started on the pole in the NWS race and led 178 of 200 laps in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, winning by 1.45 seconds over Tony Stewart. Jeff Burton, who finished 8th, was the only driver besides Busch to lead more than 10 laps – he led 16. It was Busch’s third straight Nationwide win at TMS and gives him a total of six wins already this year across the top three NASCAR racing series.

Despite his domination of Saturday’s Nationwide Series race, Busch finds himself second-highest on the list of oddsmakers’ favorites at +400. Jimmie Johnson, who pulled off a late-race pass of Denny Hamlin to win at Martinsville last week, is currently the favorite at +350.

Coincidentally, Johnson and Hamlin both had the fastest lap in Happy Hour Saturday afternoon, posting exactly the same lap speed of 183.717 miles per hour - though Hamlin had the fastest average lap speed overall. Third fast on the speed chart was … Kyle Busch. Jamie McMurray ran 4th and David Gilliland, 5th.

Saturday’s first practice was paced by polesitter David Reutimann at 186.213 miles per hour, followed by Johnson and Hamlin, both in the top 5 again. Carl Edwards, who swept the Texas Cup races last year, was 4th, and current points leader Jeff Gordon was 5th.

Johnson was the only driver to run in the top 10 in all three practices, including Friday’s pre-qualifying session, which was led by Mark Martin at 189.693 miles per hour. Johnson will start 9th on Sunday with David Reutimann on the pole.

The top 10 qualifiers will line up as follows:

Row 1 – David Reutimann, Jeff Gordon

Row 2 – Matt Kenseth, David Ragan

Row 3 – Paul Menard, Kasey Kahne

Row 4 – Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch

Row 5 – Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano

This race has only been won from the pole once – Kasey Kahne did so in 2006. 56% of the winners in Texas, including both spring and fall dates, have come from a top-5 starting spot and 75% from the top 10. Matt Kenseth won from a 31st-place start in 2002, the deepest start for a race winner here.

Over the first six races of 2009, Kyle Busch has led most laps overall with 517, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin. Jeff Gordon has the best average finish at 5.2, then Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch. Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch have two wins each with one a piece for Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson.

Oddsmakers' Favorites:

Jimmie Johnson +350
Kyle Busch +400
Carl Edwards +600

Mid-pack Maybes:

Matt Kenseth +1000
Greg Biffle +1500
Tony Stewart +1800

Long-shots to Watch:

Davie Reutimann +2200
Jamie McMurray +2800
Dale Earnhardt Jr. +3000

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