Martin Grabs Another Pole and Hamlim Tops The Speed Charts

I was very happy to see Mark Martin grab the pole again this weekend at Bristol. 2 poles in a row is a very strong point for the once retired driver. I have always been a fan of Mark Martin and I also like to see an older driver still get it done. There are a lot of sports that age plays a factor in when you call it quits. Yes there is a lot of younger talent out there but in racing it comes down to who can get the job done. Young or old, if you can put the car on the pole and win some races then you can still compete every week. I think Mark has just what he needs with Hendrick Motorsports and I can't wait to see him put the car in victory lane. I think he still can get it done and I think he will get it done very soon. I didn't get to see much of practice but I did catch the tail end of final practice and saw Denny Hamlin top the speed charts with his practice run. I think Denny has had a very strong chance this year but some unfortunate incidents have ruined his chances of making it to victory lane. Maybe this will be his weekend to get it done. I have no doubts he will be in victory lane very soon. On another strong note Ryan Newman was able to put his car on the front row for sunday's race. Ryan has talent, and has good equipment but has been another driver who has been victim of some unfortunate incidents this year. It's been a pretty wild and unusual start to this season but it has come time for everyone to get the job done. We go to the top 35 in owner points after this week so the time has come for everyone to step up.

After breaking a 257-race pole drought at Atlanta two weeks ago, Mark Martin topped his second consecutive Sprint Cup qualifying session, streaking around .533-mile Bristol Motor Speedway in 15.256 seconds (125.773 mph) Friday to win the pole for Sunday's Food City 500.

Martin won back-to-back poles for the second time in his career, having claimed the top starting spot for the April 1989 races at Darlington and Bristol.
"It felt really, really good," said the 50-year-driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, who edged Ryan Newman (125.740 mph) for the pole by .004 seconds. "The car was really fast and it was really comfortable."
Good starts are nothing new to Martin this year. Now he needs a good finish. Blown engines at California and Las Vegas and a blown tire at Atlanta have dropped him to 34th in the Cup standings.
"With the things that have happened to us in the races, it was good to show people that we've still got speed in the car," said Martin, who claimed the 43rd pole of his career. "We've got speed, and the other part will come around sooner or later."
Martin's teammate, Jimmie Johnson (125.453 mph), will start third, followed by Greg Biffle (125.289 mph) and Kasey Kahne (124.954 mph). David Reutimann, Reed Sorenson, Dave Blaney, Jamie McMurray and series points leader Jeff Gordon will start from positions six through 10, respectively.
Newman, whose luck has been almost as bad as Martin's through the first four races of the season, was happy to have righted the ship.
"Fortunately, it worked out the way it was supposed to, with the exception of the four one-thousandths that we lost by," said Newman, who won poles for the spring races at Bristol in 2003 and 2004.
Johnson, who has never won at Bristol, also got the track position he was looking for, as the three-time defending Cup champion seeks to improve his 13th-place position in the points.

Notes• After wrecking in practice, Michael Waltrip qualified 21st in a backup car.
• Scott Riggs and Jeremy Mayfield failed to qualify for Sunday's race
• Tony Stewart (15th) and A.J. Allmendinger (26th) are the only two drivers required to qualify on speed who have done so for each of the first five Cup races
• Scott Speed qualified 11th, 12 positions ahead of Joey Logano, his primary rival for rookie of the year honors.