Martin edges Busch brothers at PIR

After failing to win a Cup Series pole for eight years, Mark Martin now has three in one season.

The ninth driver Friday to make a qualifying attempt at 1-mile Phoenix International Raceway, Martin posted a time (26.903 seconds, 133.814 mph) that stood up against the drivers that followed him on a racing surface that cooled throughout the afternoon — but not as much as Martin expected.

With an uncharacteristically strong performance at Phoenix, Kyle Busch (26.921 seconds, 133.725 mph) claimed the second starting spot, followed by Kurt Busch and series points leader Jeff Gordon (watch video).

Brian Vickers, Tony Stewart, Paul Menard, David Reutimann, Regan Smith and Jimmie Johnson will start from positions five through 10, respectively.

"I was really pleased with the race car," said Martin, who had won his last pole in May 2001 at Richmond, before he qualified first at Bristol in March and followed that with a pole at Atlanta. "I felt like our early draw was really going to hurt. I thought that it was really going to cool off a lot. I was wrong about that.

"I don't think the track really picked up much. But I think a bunch of guys had the potential to beat us, and they messed their laps up. My first lap was very spot-on. It wasn't one like Atlanta or even Bristol — I think those were pull-a-rabbit-out-of-a-hat kind of things. This is a good, solid race car, and I drove a solid lap."

Results

+ Set by Owner Points
* Denotes Rookie