DARLINGTON, S.C. – Greg Biffle was the second-fastest car in both practices on Friday before qualifying for the Bojangles Southern 500. When the timed laps counted, he put his Ford on top of the charts with a lap of 27.281 seconds at a speed of 180.257 mph. Biffle was the only driver to cross the 180-mph banner.
Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne both turned in 27.386-second laps for speeds of 179.566 mph. Johnson will start on the outside of the front row by virtue of the first tiebreaker, which is higher position in points.
On the outside of row two will be Ryan Newman, who logged a 27.402-second lap for a speed of 179.461 mph. Kyle Busch rounded out the top five with a 27.404-second lap, which translates to a speed of 179.448 mph. Martin Truex Jr. will be on the outside of the third row after timing in at 27.424 seconds at a speed of 179.317 mph.
This is Biffle’s 11th pole in 341 career Cup starts. Biffle has won two poles in 2012. This is also Biffle’s second pole at Darlington in 12 career races. The last time Biffle started on the pole at Darlington was 2008. He led 95 laps but had an engine failure and finished 43rd. Josh Wise was the fastest-qualifying rookie.
2012 BOJANGLES SOUTHERN 500 QUALIFYING SPEEDS
About the author
What is it that Mike Neff doesn’t do? The writer, radio contributor and racetrack announcer coordinates the site’s local short track coverage, hitting up Saturday Night Specials across the country while tracking the sport’s future racing stars. The writer for our signature Cup post-race column, Thinkin’ Out Loud (Mondays) also sits down with Cup crew chiefs to talk shop every Friday with Tech Talk. Mike announces several shows each year for the Good Guys Rod and Custom Association. He also pops up everywhere from PRN Pit Reporters and the Press Box with Alan Smothers to SIRIUS XM Radio. He has announced at tracks all over the Southeast, starting at Millbridge Speedway. He's also announced at East Lincoln Speedway, Concord Speedway, Tri-County Speedway, Caraway Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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