Edwards, Ambrose and Allmendinger Qualify Top 10 For Darlington Cup Race
Ford Qualifying Results:
4th – Carl Edwards
6th – Marcos Ambrose
7th – AJ Allmendinger
11th – David Ragan
20th – Matt Kenseth
21st – Travis Kvapil
22nd – Greg Biffle
35th – Tony Raines
37th – David Gilliland
40th – Ken Schrader
DNQ – Andy Lally
DAVID GILLILAND – No. 34 Taco Bell Ford Fusion – “We got messed up in qualifying. We had a broken ignition wire underneath the dash and we hardly got any practice. We went 1.2 seconds faster than we did in practice and we were one of the first ones out. I’m happy with that. We went faster and it felt fast. This place always feels fast, so I’m real proud of all the guys. Peter and the guys did a great job and got our Taco Bell Ford Fusion way closer than where we were, so that’s good.”
KEN SCHRADER – No. 32 U.S. Chrome Ford Fusion – “We ran over a second faster than we practiced and we hadn’t made a qualifying run, so it’s good. When I found out I was gonna run here I was looking forward to it because I really enjoy this race track.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion – “We were killing the splitter and it really just killed the first two runs and then the third run we were way off. The fourth run I have to say thank you to our teammate, Marcos Ambrose. We kind of took a little bit of their setup and at least got four or five laps in to give us a direction and then it rained. It’s been a tough day for the Best Buy Ford, but, just like always, I’ve got the best crew guys. They just keep working their butts off whether we’re struggling or not to try and make it better. I’m just proud of everybody at RPM and Ford for working hard. I’m not sure where that will end up, but it’s a lot better than 34th where we would have started. We’ll just keep working on it. This track has my number, so we’re just gonna keep fighting and have a solid day tomorrow.”
GREG BIFFLE – No. 16 3M Ford Fusion – “We didn’t get to make a qualifying run and didn’t know what we were gonna have there. It was a little free going across the corner and a little free getting in. We were a little tight off four, but we got what we could get. We’ll see where that puts us.”
DAVID RAGAN – No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion – “We didn’t make a good qualifying run in that practice like a lot of guys did, so we were just a little too harsh on the splitter. When it’s on the splitter, the race car is not in the track that good, so I was a little bit out of the throttle in turns one and two and in three and four, but my hands are still shaking. The track has a lot of grip in it after that rain shower, so it’s fun to go out there and go fast.”
MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion – “I knew what I needed to do on that second lap, but I just wasn’t sure I was gonna be able to do it. I was basically wide-open through turns one and two and the car stuck. I’m just so proud of my Stanley team and everybody at Richard Petty Motorsports. Right now, we’re one and two on the grid. It might not stay that way, but it’s just a really good moment for us and something we can reflect on and be proud of.”
CARL EDWARDS – No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion – “It’s way better to start up front here and hopefully that will mean a good pit stall. I think that’s going to be good. If I had to do it all over again I could maybe go a little faster, but it’s still a good starting spot. The guys did a good job.”
TRAVIS KVAPIL – No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford Fusion – “I’m just really proud of my guys. Off the truck, I couldn’t even make two laps. It was so loose, I couldn’t drive it. Then Jay and all the guys made all the right changes and it was really tough because of the time crunch we had with the rain. I felt pretty confident going out there, but you never know. I’m just really proud of my guys. This is my favorite track, so, hopefully, we can have a good, solid race tomorrow night and really gain some points.”