Kasey Kahne Fast At Martinsville

One of NASCAR's oldest continuously-operating race tracks is running this weekend- Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.  The first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville was held back in 1948.  It

actually started as a dirt track, but was paved in 1955.  Fifty-six different drivers have won pole qualifying positions in NASCAR's top division over the years.  For Sunday's race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne will be on the pole.

Kahne's fast time set in qualifying on Saturday was just .01 of a second quicker than Kevin Harvick. Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer actually turned the exact same lap times and speeds, and will start alongside of each other in row two for Sunday's race.

Kahne's teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson lead active drivers with seven wins and six wins, respectively, at Martinsville. If one of these Hendrick Motorsports drivers or their other teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. wins Sunday's race, Hendrick will tie Petty Enterprises for the most wins at Martinsville (19). 

By  the way, Kahne made some other news on Friday, when he announced he was replacing his spotter with a former Jeff Gordon spotter on an interim basis. Kahne indicated that he had been a little unpleased recently with his cousin Kole who had been doing his spotting for sometime.

Here's the complete starting grid:  Race Lineup