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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Martin Draws No. 1 Spot
Mark Martin will be the first qualifier at Talladega...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted October 30, 2009   Talladega, AL
Qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AMP Energy 500 will be led off by Mark Martin. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Mark Martin hates restrictor-plate racing. Always has, always will. But at least on Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, he can get qualifying out of the way early.

Martin drew the first spot for Saturday’s qualifying round for the AMP Energy 500 and his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Impala SS will be the first of 44 cars attempting to claim the pole. Qualifying begins at 12:15 p.m. ET and will be televised live on SPEED, with coverage starting at noon.

Behind Martin, it’s Sam Hornish Jr., Erik Darnell, Elliott Sadler, Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch. Completing the top 10 will be Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., AJ Allmendinger and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Points leader Jimmie Johnson, will qualify from the 34th position.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Qualifying Order

Amp Energy 500

Talladega Superspeedway, Oct. 31

• Must qualify on speed

Car number, driver, sponsor, brand, owner

5, Mark Martin, Pop-Tarts/Carquest, Chevrolet Impala SS, Hendrick Motorsports
77, Sam Hornish Jr., Mobil 1, Dodge Charger, Penske Racing
96, Erik Darnell, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Ford Fusion, Hall of Fame Racing
19, Elliott Sadler, Stanley, Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports
11, Denny Hamlin, FedEx Express, Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
2, Kurt Busch, Miller Lite, Dodge, Penske
29, Kevin Harvick, Shell-Pennzoil, Chevy, Richard Childress Racing
1, Martin Truex Jr., Bass Pro Shops-Tracker, Chevrolet Impala SS, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
44, AJ Allmendinger, Best Buy, Dodge, RPM
88, Dale Earnhardt Jr., AMP Energy/Get on the 88/National Guard, Chevy, Hendrick
99, Carl Edwards , Subway, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
24, Jeff Gordon, Dupont/National Guard, Chevy, Hendrick
43, Reed Sorenson, Liberty Medical, Dodge, RPM
42, Juan Pablo Montoya, Target, Chevy, EGR
33, Clint Bowyer, BB&T, Chevy, RCR
39, Ryan Newman, U.S. Army, Chevy, Stewart-Haas Racing
55, Michael Waltrip, NAPA, Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing
12, David Stremme, Penske Racing, Dodge, Penske
83, Brian Vickers, Red Bull, Toyota, Red Bull Racing
31, Jeff Burton, Caterpillar, Chevy, RCR
18, Kyle Busch, M&M’s, Toyota, JGR
00, David Reutimann, Aaron's Dream Machine, Toyota, MWR
07, Casey Mears, Jack Daniel’s, Chevy, RCR
9, Kasey Kahne, Budweiser, Dodge, RPM
20, Joey Logano, Home Depot, Toyota, JGR
17, Matt Kenseth, Dewalt, Ford, Roush
34, John Andretti, Taco Bell, Chevy, Front Row Motorsports
6, David Ragan, UPS, Ford, Roush
16, Greg Biffle , 3M/Filtrete, Ford, Roush
98, Paul Menard, Zecol/Menards, Ford, Yates
26, Jamie McMurray, Irwin Marathon, Ford, Roush
47, Marcos Ambrose, Little Debbie-Kingsford-Clorox, Toyota, JTG-Daugherty Racing
48, Jimmie Johnson, Lowe's, Chevy, Hendrick
14, Tony Stewart, Office Depot, Chevy, Stewart-Haas Racing
7, Robby Gordon, Jim Beam, Toyota, Robby Gordon Motorsports
36, Robert Richardson, Wave Energy Drink, Toyota, Tommy Baldwin Racing •
66, Dave Blaney, The Denny Hamlin Foundation, Toyota, Prism Motorsports •
09, Brad Keselowski, Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, Chevy, Phoenix Racing •
13, Max Papis, GEICO, Toyota, Germain Racing •
71, Bobby Labonte, TBA, Chevrolet, TRG Motorsports •
37, Tony Raines, Long John Silver’s Dodge, Front Row Motorsports •
87, Joe Nemechek, TBA, Toyota, NEMCO Motorsports •
82, Scott Speed, Red Bull, Toyota, Red Bull Racing •
78, Regan Smith, Furniture Row, Chevy, Furniture Row Racing •

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of ?Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,? and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to



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