Joey Logano Wins Third-Straight Pole at Martinsville

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MARTINSVILLE, VA – RIS – Joey Logano just keeps running well at tiny Martinsville Speedway.  He won both poles in 2015 and won his first pole at a track he said he had difficulty with when he started racing in the major leagues.  That’s all in the past.  He is the first driver since Jeff Gordon in 2003-04 to win three in a row on the 0.526-mile oval.

Logano, the fastest in all three rounds of qualifying, edged Kasey Kahne with a speed of 97.043 mph; Kahne's best lap was 97.033 mph. Logano ran five laps in the last session, and Kahne ran just three.

"We don't have one of those trophies yet," Logano said in the infield media center while pointing at the grandfather clock that will be awarded to Sunday's winner. "We've figured out the qualifying part really well."

The previous time the series visited Martinsville, Logano had perhaps his best chance to win, but a simmering feud with Matt Kenseth boiled over, and Kenseth took Logano out while he was leading the race with 46 laps remaining.

The action earned Kenseth a two-race suspension, one of the stiffest in NASCAR history. Logano said he watched the race Thursday night and went to sleep "not very happy."

"We have a little extra motivation coming up here this week to really show what we're made out of," he said. "It's nice to be able to come up here and do what we know how to do and execute qualifying like we know to."

Brian Vickers will start third in Tony Stewart's Chevrolet, with Paul Menard alongside him, followed by Ryan Newman, AJ Allmendinger, Kyle Busch and defending champion Denny Hamlin, a five-time winner at the track.

Kahne thought he had a chance at the pole but was pleased to get a front-row starting spot.

"I think it gives me a lot of momentum," Kahne said. "It gives us some confidence that we can go fast."

Trevor Bayne qualified 32nd in a backup car after crashing his primary car in Turns 1 and 2 in the last minute of the day's first practice session. Ryan Blaney qualiied 12th in the Wood Brothers’ first appearance at their home track since 2011 when Bayne was driving.  Another rookie, Chase Elliott, qualified 10th in the No. 24 Chevrolet.

Jimmie Johnson, who was once considered the king of Martinsville, has a rough day. Johnson earned the 24th and final spot in the second round of qualifying, despite Carl Edwards' persistent effort to surpass him. Edwards ran nine laps trying to advance out of the first round, and failed.   

Time Trial Results: 67th Annual STP 500; Martinsville Speedway

Qualifying Round: 3
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 19.513, 97.043, 2, 5, 0.000, 0.000
2) Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet, 19.515, 97.033, 3, 3, 0.002, 0.002
3) Brian Vickers, No. 14 Janssen/Arnie?sArmyCharitableFoundation Chev, 19.549, 96.864, 3, 5, 0.036, 0.034
4) Paul Menard, No. 27 Libman/Menards Chevrolet, 19.551, 96.854, 2, 5, 0.038, 0.002
5) Ryan Newman, No. 31 Grainger Chevrolet, 19.575, 96.736, 2, 3, 0.062, 0.024
6) AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Kroger/Butterfinger/Coffeemate Chevrolet, 19.587, 96.676, 5, 5, 0.074, 0.012
7) Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's 75th Anniversary Toyota, 19.591, 96.657, 2, 5, 0.078, 0.004
8) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, 19.594, 96.642, 4, 4, 0.081, 0.003
9) Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, 19.635, 96.440, 2, 4, 0.122, 0.041
10) Chase Elliott #, No. 24 3M Chevrolet, 19.679, 96.224, 3, 4, 0.166, 0.044
11) Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Miller Lite Ford, 19.683, 96.205, 4, 7, 0.170, 0.004
12) Ryan Blaney #, No. 21* Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, 19.690, 96.171, 3, 5, 0.177, 0.007

Qualifying Round: 2
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 19.386, 97.679, 2, 2, 0.000, 0.000
2) Paul Menard, No. 27 Libman/Menards Chevrolet, 19.458, 97.317, 3, 3, 0.072, 0.072
3) Brian Vickers, No. 14 Janssen/Arnie'sArmyCharitableFoundation Chev, 19.513, 97.043, 2, 2, 0.127, 0.055
4) Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet, 19.516, 97.028, 5, 5, 0.130, 0.003
5) AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Kroger/Butterfinger/Coffeemate Chevrolet, 19.522, 96.998, 2, 2, 0.136, 0.006
6) Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, 19.552, 96.849, 2, 3, 0.166, 0.030
7) Ryan Newman, No. 31 Grainger Chevrolet, 19.552, 96.849, 2, 3, 0.166, 0.000
8) Ryan Blaney #, No. 21* Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, 19.571, 96.755, 4, 4, 0.185, 0.019
9) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, 19.572, 96.750, 3, 3, 0.186, 0.001
10) Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Miller Lite Ford, 19.574, 96.741, 2, 2, 0.188, 0.002
11) Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's 75th Anniversary Toyota, 19.579, 96.716, 3, 3, 0.193, 0.005
12) Chase Elliott #, No. 24 3M Chevrolet, 19.588, 96.671, 2, 3, 0.202, 0.009
13) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 19.595, 96.637, 3, 6, 0.209, 0.007
14) Greg Biffle, No. 16 Roush Performance Ford, 19.598, 96.622, 3, 3, 0.212, 0.003
15) Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Bad Boy Off Road/Beechcraft Chevrolet, 19.599, 96.617, 2, 3, 0.213, 0.001
16) Martin Truex Jr, No. 78 Furniture Row Toyota, 19.609, 96.568, 2, 7, 0.223, 0.010
17) Kyle Larson, No. 42 Target Chevrolet, 19.628, 96.474, 3, 5, 0.242, 0.019
18) Casey Mears, No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet, 19.629, 96.470, 2, 6, 0.243, 0.001
19) Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Jimmy John's Chevrolet, 19.651, 96.362, 1, 6, 0.265, 0.022
20) Aric Almirola, No. 43 STP Ford, 19.675, 96.244, 2, 5, 0.289, 0.024
21) Dale Earnhardt Jr, No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet, 19.715, 96.049, 2, 5, 0.329, 0.040
22) David Ragan, No. 23 Dr Pepper Toyota, 19.729, 95.981, 2, 4, 0.343, 0.014
23) Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy , 19.767, 95.796, 3, 8, 0.381, 0.038
24) Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, 19.784, 95.714, 2, 5, 0.398, 0.017

Qualifying Round: 1
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 19.474, 97.237, 2, 2, 0.000, 0.000
2) Brian Vickers, No. 14 Janssen/Arnie?sArmyCharitableFoundation Chev, 19.479, 97.212, 3, 3, 0.005, 0.005
3) AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Kroger/Butterfinger/Coffeemate Chevrolet, 19.527, 96.973, 4, 4, 0.053, 0.048
4) Paul Menard, No. 27 Libman/Menards Chevrolet, 19.533, 96.944, 5, 5, 0.059, 0.006
5) Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Jimmy John's Chevrolet, 19.540, 96.909, 3, 3, 0.066, 0.007
6) Ryan Blaney #, No. 21* Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, 19.565, 96.785, 3, 3, 0.091, 0.025
7) Greg Biffle, No. 16 Roush Performance Ford, 19.578, 96.721, 7, 7, 0.104, 0.013
8) Martin Truex Jr, No. 78 Furniture Row Toyota, 19.580, 96.711, 4, 4, 0.106, 0.002
9) Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Miller Lite Ford, 19.584, 96.691, 3, 3, 0.110, 0.004
10) Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, 19.588, 96.671, 3, 3, 0.114, 0.004
11) Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's 75th Anniversary Toyota, 19.592, 96.652, 4, 4, 0.118, 0.004
12) Ryan Newman, No. 31 Grainger Chevrolet, 19.597, 96.627, 5, 5, 0.123, 0.005
13) Kyle Larson, No. 42 Target Chevrolet, 19.602, 96.602, 3, 3, 0.128, 0.005
14) Chase Elliott #, No. 24 3M Chevrolet, 19.623, 96.499, 2, 3, 0.149, 0.021
15) Casey Mears, No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet, 19.631, 96.460, 5, 5, 0.157, 0.008
16) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, 19.640, 96.415, 4, 4, 0.166, 0.009
17) Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy , 19.640, 96.415, 3, 5, 0.166, 0.000
18) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 19.644, 96.396, 4, 5, 0.170, 0.004
19) Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet, 19.655, 96.342, 4, 5, 0.181, 0.011
20) David Ragan, No. 23 Dr Pepper Toyota, 19.663, 96.303, 3, 3, 0.189, 0.008
21) Dale Earnhardt Jr, No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet, 19.678, 96.229, 3, 7, 0.204, 0.015
22) Aric Almirola, No. 43 STP Ford, 19.698, 96.132, 5, 5, 0.224, 0.020
23) Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Bad Boy Off Road/Beechcraft Chevrolet, 19.700, 96.122, 4, 4, 0.226, 0.002
24) Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, 19.701, 96.117, 4, 5, 0.227, 0.001
25) Carl Edwards, No. 19 ARRIS Toyota, 19.708, 96.083, 4, 9, 0.234, 0.007
26) Brian Scott #, No. 44 Goody's Ford, 19.742, 95.917, 4, 9, 0.268, 0.034
27) Michael McDowell, No. 95 KLove Radio Chevrolet, 19.743, 95.912, 10, 12, 0.269, 0.001
28) Danica Patrick, No. 10 TaxACT Chevrolet, 19.748, 95.888, 3, 11, 0.274, 0.005
29) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Dow Chevrolet, 19.751, 95.874, 3, 9, 0.277, 0.003
30) Clint Bowyer, No. 15 5-Hour Energy Chevrolet, 19.758, 95.840, 4, 9, 0.284, 0.007
31) Cole Whitt, No. 98*  Chevrolet, 19.775, 95.757, 6, 6, 0.301, 0.017
32) Trevor Bayne, No. 6 AdvoCare Ford, 19.805, 95.612, 5, 13, 0.331, 0.030
33) Landon Cassill, No. 38 MDS Transport Ford, 19.809, 95.593, 5, 10, 0.335, 0.004
34) Regan Smith, No. 7 APC Chevrolet, 19.819, 95.545, 3, 9, 0.345, 0.010
35) Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Cosmo Motors Toyota, 19.871, 95.295, 4, 8, 0.397, 0.052
36) Chris Buescher #, No. 34 CSX/Play it Safe Ford, 19.880, 95.252, 8, 11, 0.406, 0.009
37) Joey Gase(i), No. 32 Donate Life Ford, 19.971, 94.817, 3, 7, 0.497, 0.091
38) Michael Annett, No. 46 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, 20.092, 94.246, 4, 8, 0.618, 0.121
39) Josh Wise, No. 30* Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet, 20.098, 94.218, 4, 5, 0.624, 0.006
40) Reed Sorenson, No. 55* Chevrolet, 0.000, 0.000, 0, 0, -----, -----

*= non-charter team
#= rookie

Starting Line Up by Row: 67th Annual STP 500
Martinsville Speedway
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed
1) Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 19.513 sec, 97.043 mph
2) Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet, 19.515, 97.033
3) Brian Vickers, No. 14 Janssen/Arnie?sArmyCharitableFndtn Chev, 19.549, 96.864
4) Paul Menard, No. 27 Libman/Menards Chevrolet, 19.551, 96.854
5) Ryan Newman, No. 31 Grainger Chevrolet, 19.575, 96.736
6) AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Kroger/Butterfinger/Coffeemate Chevrolet, 19.587, 96.676
7) Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's 75th Anniversary Toyota, 19.591, 96.657
8) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, 19.594, 96.642
9) Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, 19.635, 96.440
10) Chase Elliott #, No. 24 3M Chevrolet, 19.679, 96.224
11) Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Miller Lite Ford, 19.683, 96.205
12) Ryan Blaney #, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, 19.690, 96.171
13) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 19.595, 96.637
14) Greg Biffle, No. 16 Roush Performance Ford, 19.598, 96.622
15) Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Bad Boy Off Road/Beechcraft Chevrolet, 19.599, 96.617
16) Martin Truex Jr, No. 78 Furniture Row Toyota, 19.609, 96.568
17) Kyle Larson, No. 42 Target Chevrolet, 19.628, 96.474
18) Casey Mears, No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet, 19.629, 96.470
19) Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Jimmy John's Chevrolet, 19.651, 96.362
20) Aric Almirola, No. 43 STP Ford, 19.675, 96.244
21) Dale Earnhardt Jr, No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet, 19.715, 96.049
22) David Ragan, No. 23 Dr Pepper Toyota, 19.729, 95.981
23) Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Chevrolet, 19.767, 95.796
24) Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, 19.784, 95.714
25) Carl Edwards, No. 19 ARRIS Toyota, 19.708, 96.083
26) Brian Scott #, No. 44 Goody's Ford, 19.742, 95.917
27) Michael McDowell, No. 95 KLove Radio Chevrolet, 19.743, 95.912
28) Danica Patrick, No. 10 TaxACT Chevrolet, 19.748, 95.888
29) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Dow Chevrolet, 19.751, 95.874
30) Clint Bowyer, No. 15 5-Hour Energy Chevrolet, 19.758, 95.840
31) Cole Whitt, No. 98 Chevrolet, 19.775, 95.757
32) Trevor Bayne, No. 6 AdvoCare Ford, 19.805, 95.612
33) Landon Cassill, No. 38 MDS Transport Ford, 19.809, 95.593
34) Regan Smith, No. 7 APC Chevrolet, 19.819, 95.545
35) Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Cosmo Motors Toyota, 19.871, 95.295
36) Chris Buescher #, No. 34 CSX/Play it Safe Ford, 19.880, 95.252
37) Joey Gase(i), No. 32 Donate Life Ford, 19.971, 94.817
38) Michael Annett, No. 46 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, 20.092, 94.246
39) Josh Wise, No. 30 Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet, 20.098, 94.218
40) Reed Sorenson, No. 55 Chevrolet, 0.000, 0.000

(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

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