Catchfence

Martinsville, VA – The Rocketman Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. ARMY Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, earned the NASCAR Sprint Cup Pole Award yesterday during Farm Bureau Insurance Pole Day at Martinsville Speedway.

Newman’s blistering lap around the .526-mile oval was 19.563 seconds at 96.795 miles per hour. He beat out Jeff Gordon whose time and speed was 19.619 at 96.519. Qualifiers 3-5 were: Martin Truex Jr., Mark Martin and David Reutimann. Farm Bureau Insurance driver Joey Logano qualified the No. 20 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota a strong 7^th place.

Newman’s No. 1 qualifying mark was his third career pole at the Martinsville short track. It was also his second pole of the season and the 45th of his career. He is tied with Buck Baker for 11th in all-time Cup poles.

“I was really confident that I got everything out of it,” said Newman, who enters Sunday’s race eighth in the Chase points. “The U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevy also hooked up real nice in race trim during today’s practice. Tony Gibson (crew chief) and all the guys did an awesome job — the Impala SS was a real pleasure to drive. It’s a great start to the weekend and I hope this puts a big smile on the faces of our Army Strong Soldiers. The next mission is to drive the Soldiers’ car to Victory Lane on Sunday.”

Farm Bureau Insurance Pole Day didn’t end with Sprint Cup, as Mike Skinner won the Pole in the Camping World Truck Series. The rest of the top-five included Ron Hornaday, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Brian Scott.

Farm Bureau Insurance Pole Day consisted of both the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series qualifying sessions. Leading up to Pole Day at Martinsville Speedway, Farm Bureau Insurance offered two race fans the grand chance to wave the green flag during Coors Pole Qualifying.

Continue to watch for Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender Joey Logano and the No. 20 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota this Sunday at Martinsville Speedway for the TUMS Fast Relief 500. More information can be found on the Web at www.farmbureauinsuranceracing.com.

About Farm Bureau Insurance: Farm Bureau Insurance was founded over 60 years ago.  The Company is represented by over 4,200 Farm Bureau Insurance agents across 10 states, including Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.  The family of Farm Bureau Insurance Companies offers full lines of auto, home and life insurance, as well as a host of other services.

- Farm Bureau Insurance Racing, Press Release