Rookie Patrick Carpentier grabbed his first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Carpentier, a 36-year-old Sprint Cup rookie, ran a lap at 129.776 mph after the 1 hour, 45 minute rain delay to win the pole for Sunday’s Lenox 301. It’s the first career pole for the Canadian, who drives the No. 10 Dodge for Gillett Evernham Motorsports.
The Canadian driver, whose last pole came in a Champ Car in 2004 on the road course in Laguna Seca, Calif., was among the drivers who had to wait out a nearly two-hour rain delay before getting a shot at qualifying for Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301.
“It’s amazing,” said Carpentier, who took his first pole on an oval track with a fast lap was 129.776 mph. “The car was great. We made a couple of changes from this morning and the car just rotated beautifully through the middle of the corner. It was just stuck on the track. I’m real happy.
“Honestly, if I had won the first pole on a road course I wouldn’t be as happy,” he added. “I want to do well on the ovals because that is where they do most the racing in this series.”
Shut it down, shut it down,” crew chief Mike Shiplett radioed Carpentier after he knocked Bobby Labonte off the pole with a lap of 129.776 mph.
This is Carpentier’s first pole of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in just his 17th start. Carpentier is also the first rookie to win a pole since Denny Hamlin in 2006.
This is Carpentier’s best start of the season since he qualified fourth at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on May 3. The last time Carpentier started on the pole was in a Champ Car race at Laguna Seca (Calif.) Raceway.
Bobby Labonte, in the Petty Enterprises Dodge, was second (29.51 seconds, 129.059 mph). Kevin Harvick and Scott Riggs had matching times for third (29.53), with Harvick getting the spot based on the owner standings. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was fifth (29.55).
“After the rain delay, the track had cooled off so that helped us out,” Labonte said.
Series leader Kyle Busch will start 27th, with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart alongside Busch.
Kevin Harvick followed Busch onto the track and, despite nearly hitting the wall on his fast lap, took over the top spot with a lap of 128.976. Bobby Labonte then went out and took the top spot from Harvick with a lap of 129.059.
Labonte, a former Cup champion who hasn’t won a pole since April 2004, was pretty happy with the outside spot on the front row for Sunday’s race.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” he said. “I didn’t think it was going to be that fast with the track conditions what they were, so we’ excited to get a good lap and get a good starting spot.”
The other side of the coin when comparing this week to last was Marcos Ambrose, trying to make his second start in the No. 21 Ford.
Ambrose started seventh at Infineon and ran well before getting knocked out and finishing 42nd. On Friday, he went last and ran the day’s slowest lap at 125.566 mph. He and Tony Raines failed to make the field for Sunday’s race.
“It’s really disappointing,” Ambrose said. “Unfortunately, I’ve got a hero-to-zero story I can tell.”
| 
|