NASCAR at New Hampshire 2015 Qualifying Results: Race Order, Times, Reaction

Qualifying for the 5-Hour Energy 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, is in the books, and Carl Edwards is in the pole position entering Sunday's competition at the Magic Mile.  

The win is a huge one for Edwards, and not just because it boosted his spirits entering race day. Historically, the pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the friendliest on the circuit, according to NASCAR Stats:   

Furthermore, Friday's pole victory was the first of Edwards' career at New Hampshire and his first in nearly two years, per NASCAR Stats. 

Not surprisingly, Edwards was thrilled with the result, as NASCAR on NBC documented following the conclusion of Friday's qualifying: 

Before the action got underway, NASCAR on NBC provided a refresher of the qualifying rules entering the afternoon: 

Beyond Edwards' first-place finish, here's a comprehensive overview of where the top 12 qualifiers will start Sunday's race, according to NASCAR on NBC:  

Round 2 of qualifying at the Magic Mile saw several big names trimmed from the day's proceedings, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon and Danica Patrick.  

Position	Driver	Speed (MPH)
13	Landon Cassill	134.174
14	Greg Biffle	134.075
15	Martin Truex Jr.	134.042
16	Ryan Blaney	134.009
17	Kyle Larson	133.802
18	Clint Bowyer	133.788
19	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	133.464
20	Danica Patrick	133.450
21	Casey Mears	133.403
22	AJ Allmendinger	133.184
23	Jeff Gordon	133.068
24	Austin Dillon	132.924

Earnhardt took to Twitter to express his disappointment with Friday's result after he finished in the 19th slot:  

Conversely, Ryan Blaney (14th position) was encouraged by his car's performance: 

The day got started with a field of 44 drivers jockeying for position, and the cream started separating itself from the crop right away. 

NASCAR Stats provided a look at the first round's most efficient vehicles following the opening stanza: 

Below is a complete overview of the 20 drivers who failed to advance to the second round of qualifying.  

Position	Driver	Speed (MPH)
25	Tony Stewart	132.877
26	Ryan Newman	132.715
27	Sam Hornish Jr.	132.623
28	Paul Menard	132.609
29	Aric Almirola	132.531
30	Justin Allgaier	132.526
31	Trevor Bayne	132.388
32	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	132.172
33	Cole Whitt	132.103
34	Brett Moffitt	131.656
35	Matt DiBenedetto	131.370
36	Jeb Burton	130.972
37	David Gilliland	130.765
38	Michael Annett	130.300
39	Reed Sorenson	129.415
40	J.J. Yeley	129.384
41	Alex Bowman	129.103
42	Eddie MacDonald	128.994
43	Derek White	126.165
44	Timmy Hill	102.022

According to the Charlotte Observer's Jim Utter, Reed Sorenson was the only driver who failed to qualify for Sunday's race. 

Jimmie Johnson (who finished Friday in the seventh position) leads the Sprint Cup Series with a season-high four victories, and he'll look to join Kevin Harvick in an exclusive club of drivers as he eyes a spot in the Chase.

"Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. can join Harvick this weekend in New Hampshire," NASCAR.com wrote. "Both Hendrick Motorsports drivers already have the multiple wins that guarantee them a spot among the top 16 winners (even if there's a new winner in each of the remaining eight races). They can lock up a top 30 spot this weekend at New Hampshire." 

According to JimmieJohnson.com, the 48 car has tallied three wins and 18 top-10 finishes over the course of 26 career starts at the 1.06-mile track.  

However, history may not be on Johnson's side. 

As the NASCAR Twitter account noted, New Hampshire has been a breeding ground for parity in recent years: 

As a reminder, there will be two more Sprint Cup practices Saturday before the big show gets underway Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. The first session will run from 10-10:55 a.m. ET and the second will start at 12:30 p.m. ET before concluding at 1:25 p.m.