MARTINSVILLE, VA – Josh Berry will start on the pole for Satuday night’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300 after his record-setting qualifying lap at Martinsville Speedway on Friday night.
Berry recorded a blistering 19.927 second qualifying lap around Martinsville Speedway, being one of seven drivers to break last year’s track record set by Stacy Puryear (20.100). The eighth place qualifier, Trevor Noles, tied Puryear’s record.
“I believe that might be a new track record here too,” Berry said. “What an unbelievable job all these guys have done since we’ve been here. We had a great test last week. We had an okay practice today. We definitely got going better there at the end and we knew we had some left from our mock run. We just had to fine tune it a little bit.”
Berry came close to winning the race last year after dominating much of the second half of the race, but was a victim in one of the many late race incidents that shaped the outcome.
“We were really close here last year, everybody knows that,” Berry remarked. “Last year’s last year. We came here to prove ourselves all over again and we’re off to a good start.”
Berry will be joined on the front row by fellow CARS Tour competitor Layne Riggs. Rounding out the top-five are Bobby McCarty, Peyton Sellers, and Lee Pulliam.
Defending race winner C.E. Falk, III qualified in the final transfer spot.
“We just got the wild card round,” Falk said. “That’s okay. We’re in. We haven’t quite had the speed like Josh [Berry] and Lee [Pulliam] and all those guys but we’ve worked really hard in the test and today. We’re going to keep grinding on it. We’ve got a two hour work session tomorrow as long as tech goes okay. We’re going to figure it out. We’re in the show and that’s all that matters.”
Matt Leicht was the first driver not to lock himself into the main event on time.
“I drove in a little too hard,” Leicht remarked. “Just going to make up for it tomorrow. I think I have a car that can win. It’s going to take a lot of luck. Everybody has to have luck to get around this place and not get wrecked. Last year, we got killed. We’re just going to keep our wheels and fenders on it and be there at the end.”
Here are a look at qualifying times:
TORP Chassis Qualifying Times
- Josh Berry – 19.927
- Layne Riggs – 19.959
- Bobby McCarty – 20.011
- Peyton Sellers – 20.04
- Lee Pulliam – 20.06
- Dustin Rumley – 20.079
- Bubba Pollard – 20.083
- Trevor Noles – 20.1
- Tommy Lemons, Jr. – 20.111
- Justin Carroll – 20.116
- Chad McCumbee – 20.118
- Trey Crews – 20.12
- Travis Swaim – 20.145
- Timothy Peters – 20.146
- Taylor Gray – 20.146
- Jason York – 20.159
- Dexter Canipe, Jr. – 20.163
- Ryan Wilson – 20.166
- Craig Moore – 20.171
- C.E. Falk, III – 20.188
- Matt Leicht – 20.202
- Brennan Poole – 20.206
- Kres VanDyke – 20.213
- Jonathan Findley – 20.217
- Jake Crum – 20.219
- Jeff Oakley – 20.222
- Mike Looney – 20.227
- Sammy Smith – 20.233
- Brenden Queen – 20.239
- Steve Zacharias – 20.239
- Colin Garrett – 20.25
- Derrick Lancaster – 20.258
- Jamey Caudill – 20.266
- Davin Scites – 20.266
- Mike Darne – 20.269
- Stacy Puryear – 20.277
- Bruce Anderson – 20.278
- Kevin Leicht – 20.28
- Matt Waltz – 20.292
- Austin Thaxton – 20.305
- Brandon Clements – 20.34
- Brandon Pierce – 20.358
- Lucas Williams – 20.373
- Trevor Ward – 20.382
- Jacob Heafner – 20.384
- Nik Williams – 20.387
- B.J. Mackey – 20.392
- Tyler Matthews – 20.44
- Kyle Dudley – 20.445
- Camden Gullie – 20.446
- Zack Clifton – 20.457
- Chase Dixon – 20.469
- Justin Hicks – 20.482
- Grayson Cullather – 20.495
- Jimmy Wallace – 20.519
- Jason Barnes – 20.526
- Annabeth Barnes Crum – 20.55
- G.R. Waldrop – 20.629
- Owen Smith – 20.668
- Eric Winslow – 20.688
- Kyle Southern – 20.689
- Dylan Ward – 20.754
- James Sweeny – 20.878
- Bobby Gillespie – 21.21
- Mack Tatum – 21.547
- Amber Lynn – 21.913
