Martin Truex Jr. wins pole for Pep Boys Auto 500; Kasey Kahne qualifies second

Truex wins first pole at Atlanta

HAMPTON, Ga. — Martin Truex Jr. won his first pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, just in time for the track’s first scheduled race entirely under the lights.

Truex qualified first for Sunday night’s Pep Boys Auto 500 with his lap of 184.149 mph. It is Truex’s second pole of the season after qualifying first and finishing 11th at the Daytona 500.

Truex is leaving Earnhardt Ganassi Racing after the season to join Michael Waltrip Racing and said he wants to give his current team a win.

“I want to go out on a high note for them and for all they’ve done for me,” Truex said.

Truex, 23rd in the Sprint Cup standings, is an outsider in the late-season competition for one of the 12 spots in the Chase for the Championship.

“I think the urgency is just that the year is coming to an end,” Truex said. “It’s been a tough year. We’ve had some great runs. We’ve worked really hard and really don’t have a lot to show for it.

“I sure would like to get to victory lane before the season is out.”

Kasey Kahne, 11th in the Sprint Cup standings, qualified second at 183.497 mph and has much at stake on Sunday night.

“It’s a big race for us,” Kahne said. “We need to figure out how we can gain points and race as fast as we can. … No mistakes, and I think we should have a great shot at making the Chase. That’s the goal. That’s all we want to do right not, to figure out how to make the chase.”

Jimmie Johnson, was third, followed by Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch.

Johnson and Gordon are second and third, respectively, and Kurt Busch is sixth in the standings. Each are secure with only two races left before the Chase.

Kyle Busch is 13th in the standings, 34 points behind 12th-place Matt Kenseth.

“From sixth to 13th, it’s pretty close,” Kahne said. “It’s exciting and we’re glad we’re a part of it.”