Biffle on Darlington pole
On a fast new surface, 41 of 44 drivers broke the qualifying record at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C.
But it was Greg Biffle who set the pace, turning a blistering lap of 179.442 mph Friday night to win the pole at Darlington. He shattered the previous record of 173.797 mph set by Ward Burton in 1996.
“Everybody has talked about how the track is really fast, but it’s the same old Darlington,” Biffle said.
Biffle’s lap in a Ford beat Hendrick teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson, who qualified second and third for tonight’s Sprint Cup race in their Chevrolets. Earnhardt ran a lap at 179.357, while Johnson clocked in at 179.206.
Tony Stewart tied his career-best qualifying effort at Darlington by claiming the fourth starting position. Kurt Busch qualified fifth and was followed by younger brother, Kyle Busch, and Elliott Sadler.
Nationwide Series
Tony Stewart was dominant throughout in gliding to victory in the first race on Darlington’s slicker, repaved surface in Darlington, S.C.
He was about the only one who got away unscathed. Fellow Sprint Cup stars Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin had their nights ended by wrecks.
Stewart made it through eight cautions.
•NASCAR officials claim an electrical fire caused a fatal plane crash near Orlando, Fla., last year that killed two aboard the aircraft and three on the ground, but federal investigators do not necessarily agree and continue to investigate that claim.
The NASCAR accident summary is included in a release of reports by the National Transportation Safety Board into the July 10 crash of the NASCAR airplane. It claims the pilots were overcome by fumes and were incapacitated.
IRL
Rookie driver Alex Lloyd did not break any bones in a hard crash during practice for the Indianapolis 500 that left him hospitalized in Indianapolis.
Formula One
Ferrari led both practice sessions for the Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul. Felipe Massa led the first session with a time of 1 minute, 27.323 seconds before Kimi Raikkonen posted the afternoon’s best time of 1:27.543.