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NASCAR

Rookie Scott Speed must qualify now at Martinsville

By SceneDaily.com

Mar 23, 2009

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Scott Speed didn’t have to qualify on speed for the season's first five races, but he is one of three drivers who will move from a guaranteed spot to having to qualify on speed when the Sprint Cup Series qualifies March 27 at Martinsville Speedway – the first race where 2009 owners points are used.

“I qualified 11th here – qualifying is the least of my problems,” the Red Bull Racing rookie said after a 28th-place run at Bristol. “It’s not an issue.”

No driver who entered Bristol outside the top 35 could get back into the top 35. Speed and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s Aric Almirola are both 21 points behind the 35th-place TRG Motorsports team with driver David Gilliland. The other driver who won't be guaranteed a spot anymore is Yates Racing’s Paul Menard, who is 30 points behind Gilliland. The only other driver within 125 points of 35th in owners points is Yates' Travis Kvapil, but his team is not expected to head to Martinsville.

Bristol isn’t a place where young drivers typically can make up ground in the points. Almirola finished nine laps down in 35th, while Menard was two laps down in 25th.

“I stayed out of everyone’s way. I just rode around and learned all we could and tried to stay out of trouble,” Speed said.

Gilliland barely hung on to his spot in owners points after a rough day at Bristol where he finished 36th, while Joe Gibbs Racing’s Joey Logano is only 35 points ahead of the two drivers in 36th. Logano's day ended 13 laps early at Bristol due to a blown engine.

“It’s very frustrating after running the whole race and then getting that close to the end,” said Logano, who finished 38th and is 34th in owners points. “What am I supposed to do?”

Logano’s car owner, Joe Gibbs, said it shows just how tough this sport is, especially with the testing ban at most NASCAR tracks this year.

“Many times Joey has been at someplace where he's never had a lap in [the current] Cup car. … It's been a struggle for us,” Gibbs said. “He's had two wrecks. Other people caused them. Then we blow a motor. It's been disheartening.

"But I think we're locked in a battle. We're going to go for it hard. It's part of pro sports. It's a tough deal. We stepped out there for [sponsor] Home Depot and him. We're going to keep swinging.”

Two other drivers have less than a 100-point cushion on the guys outside the top 35: Front Row Motorsports' John Andretti (62-point margin) and Penske Racing's Sam Hornish (63-point margin).

The one driver who helped his cause significantly at Bristol was Mark Martin, whose sixth-place finish vaulted him four spots in the owners points to 31st, 106 points ahead of Speed and Almirola.

In addition to Gilliland, the other two drivers who now won’t have to qualify on speed are Stewart-Haas Racing’s Tony Stewart (who had a past champion’s provisional) and Richard Petty Motorsports’ AJ Allmendinger. Stewart is seventh in owners points, while Allmendinger is 16th.

Allmendinger moved up four spots with his 16th-palce finish in the race.

“It was a finish at Bristol,” Allmendinger said. “That’s all that matters. … Overall, a good points day.”

Allmendinger admitted he will still feel a little pressure for qualifying – but it won’t be as bad as the start of the year.

“The pressure to qualify up front is still there, but we know we won’t be going home," he said.