Moffitt Surprises With Run – Earns second career NASCAR K&N East pole award
LOUDON, N.H. — There may not have been anybody more surprised that Brett Moffitt earned the 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Light in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East qualifying Thursday than Moffitt himself.
After only being 21st fastest in practice earlier in the day, Moffitt rolled off a first lap of 30.356 seconds around the 1.058-mile oval for an average speed of 125.471 mph. Going out 29th out of 32 qualifiers for Friday’s New England 125, Moffitt was quick enough to knock New Hampshire native D.J. Shaw off the provisional pole.
Moffitt’s only other career pole came in his series debut in 2009 at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway. The 17-year-old from Grimes, Iowa, is coming off a win at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
Shaw, whose father Dale has three wins at New Hampshire, will start on the outside of the front row after his lap of 30.430 (125.166). He started 17th in both races at New Hampshire last year.
Moffitt’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Max Gresham qualified third at 30.438 (125.133). Ryan Gifford and Ty Dillon rounded out the top five. Points leader Ryan Truex qualified sixth, followed by Kevin Swindell, Cole Whitt, Alan Tardiff and Miguel Paludo.
Green flag for the New England 125 is scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m.
| 1 | 20 | Brett Moffitt, Grimes, Iowa | Game Plan for Life Toyota | 30.356 | 125.471 |
| 2 | 60 | D.J. Shaw, Conway, N.H. * | Precision JLM Chevrolet | 30.430 | 125.166 |
| 3 | 18 | Max Gresham, Griffin, Ga. * | Gresham & Associates Toyota | 30.438 | 125.133 |
| 4 | 2 | Ryan Gifford, Winchester, Tenn. * | Revolution Racing Chevrolet | 30.483 | 124.948 |
| 5 | 3 | Ty Dillon, Lewisville, N.C. * | Mom ‘N’ Pops Country Ham Chevrolet | 30.526 | 124.772 |
| 6 | 00 | Ryan Truex, Mayetta, N.J. | Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota | 30.559 | 124.638 |
| 7 | 9 | Kevin Swindell, Germantown, Tenn. * | Curb Records/NOS Energy Drink Chevrolet | 30.592 | 124.503 |
| 8 | 84 | Cole Whitt, Alpine, Calif. * | Red Bull Toyota | 30.632 | 124.341 |
| 9 | 38 | Alan Tardiff, Lyman, Maine | Bestway Disp./Ironclad Energy Drink Chevrolet | 30.668 | 124.195 |
| 10 | 77 | Miguel Paludo, New Silver, Brazil * | NBC Bank Brasil Toyota | 30.761 | 123.819 |
| 11 | 16 | Jonathan Smith, Beacon Falls, Conn. | Riondo USA/Athletes for America Chevrolet | 30.764 | 123.807 |
| 12 | 6 | Darrell Wallace, Jr., Mobile, Ala * | Revolution Racing Chevrolet | 30.852 | 123.454 |
| 13 | 4 | Sergio Pena, Winchester, Va. * | Revolution Racing Chevrolet | 30.874 | 123.366 |
| 14 | 07 | Corey LaJoie, Concord, N.C. * | LaJoie Auto Wrecking Ford | 30.874 | 123.366 |
| 15 | 39 | Dustin Delaney, Mayfield, N.Y. | Delaney Infrastructure Chevrolet | 30.932 | 123.135 |
| 16 | 35 | Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Quebec * | Waste Management Recycling Chevrolet | 30.948 | 123.071 |
| 17 | 88 | Jody Lavender, Hartsville, S.C. | Hartsville Mini-Storage Ford | 30.984 | 122.928 |
| 18 | 24 | Zach Germain, Bexley, Ohio * | Germain.com Toyota | 31.020 | 122.785 |
| 19 | 30 | Jeff Anton, Russell, Mass. | East Coast Resurfacing Chevrolet | 31.031 | 122.742 |
| 20 | 1 | Joey Polewarczyk, Hudson, N.H. * | Pole’s Automotive Chevrolet | 31.041 | 122.702 |
| 21 | 71 | Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass. | NEMO/Grimm Construction Chevrolet | 31.076 | 122.564 |
| 22 | 40 | Matt Kobyluck, Uncasville, Conn. | Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino Chevrolet | 31.099 | 122.473 |
| 23 | 12 | Ruben Rovelo, Mexico City, Mexico * | Chivas/Telmex Dodge | 31.109 | 122.434 |
| 24 | 52 | Drew Brannon, Miami, Fla. * | RaceDrewHome.com Chevrolet | 31.172 | 122.187 |
| 25 | 8 | Mackena Bell, Carson City, Nev. * | Revolution Racing Chevrolet | 31.214 | 122.022 |
| 26 | 17 | Jason Patison, Corona, Calif. | Lucas Oil/E3 Spark Plugs Chevrolet | 31.264 | 121.827 |
| 27 | 37 | Andrew Smith, Pooler, Ga. * | Spraker Racing Chevrolet | 31.392 | 121.330 |
| 28 | 33 | Matt Frahm, North Salem, N.H. | The Woodworks/Lemiuex Builders Ford | 31.458 | 121.076 |
| 29 | 8 | Steve Park, East Northport, N.Y. | National Parts Peddler Chevrolet | 31.603 | 120.520 |
| 30 | 7 | Ryan Duff, Hazard, KY. | Pine Branch Coal/Laughlin Perf. Chevrolet | 31.682 | 120.220 |
| 31 | 63 | John Salemi, Nashua, N.H. | Dangerous Red Chevrolet | 32.360 | 117.701 |
| 32 | 26 | Scott Bouley, Thomaston, Conn. | Cutting Edge/Neurosurgery Orthpdc. Chevrolet | 33.315 | 114.327 |