Kevin Harvick edges Jeff Gordon for Bristol Sprint Cup pole - MotorSportsTalk

As he crossed the finish line Friday afternoon with what looked like it would be a pole-winning run for Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race with a Bristol Motor Speedway track record run of 14.615 seconds, Jeff Gordon said over his team radio, “That’s all I’ve got.”

But only a few seconds later, Kevin Harvick found a bit more than Gordon, taking the pole with yet another track record mark of 14.607 seconds on the .533-mile high-banked oval.

Harvick also set a track speed record of 131.362 mph, to 131.290 mph for Gordon.

“It feels great,” Harvick said. “I just have to thank everybody on our Jimmy John’s team for really everything they do every week for qualifying and race cars that they bring to the race track are just incredibly fast. They have helped improve my qualifying record a tremendous amount. Today was no different.”

Harvick made it the 18th time a track record has been broken in the first 24 races this season. Now he’s hoping to start from the pole and finish with the checkered flag.

“Track position is definitely as important as it is anywhere here with the current groove and where you are running,” Harvick said. ” I felt good about our car during practice and just have to stay in there all night and do the best we can.”

Carl Edwards will start third (131.209 mph), followed by Kyle Busch (131.057), Jimmie Johnson (131.030), Joey Logano (131.030), Kurt Busch (130.940), Greg Biffle (130.869), Brad Keselowski (130.504), Marcos Ambrose (130.460), Ryan Newman (130.168) and Kasey Kahne (130.009).

While the second part of the qualifying session was without incident, that wasn’t the case in the first part of the session. Several drivers wound up in trouble by overdriving the track.

Among those, Aric Almirola, who slammed his right rear quarter, Kyle Larson (who was fastest in one of the practice sessions earlier in the day) slammed both the right rear and left front of his car, and Cole Whitt did likewise.

Gordon showed he’s still riding a wave of momentum after his win this past Sunday at Michigan. He was fastest in the first part of qualifying with a mark of 14.688 seconds.

Gordon then topped that mark in the second part of the session, resetting his freshly-minted mark with an even-better 14.615.

While it looked like that mark would hold up, Harvick had other ideas and will start Saturday night’s race from the top spot – and with Gordon alongside.

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The IndyCar Series has re-signed NTT as its title sponsor in a multiyear agreement starting in 2024.

NTT, a global information technology and communications company based in Japan, became the series’ title sponsor before the 2019 season after starting as a sponsor of the No. 10 Dallara-Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing.

NTT Data (a subsidiary of parent company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.) will remain the official technology partner of IndyCar, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indy 500 and the NASCAR Brickyard weekend.

With the extension, an IndyCar spokesman said NTT would become the second-longest title sponsor in series history. The longest title sponsor was PPG from 1980-97 (under the CART sanction of the Champ Car Series).

NTT replaced Verizon, which was IndyCar’s title sponsor from 2014-18 after IZOD from 2010-13.

“NTT is an excellent partner across our enterprise with strong expertise and a deep commitment to our sport,” Penske Corp. chairman and IndyCar owner Roger Penske said in a release. “From Smart Venue technology at the Racing Capital of the World to the reimagined Series mobile application, NTT is transforming the fan experience in new and innovative ways. We look forward to a bright future together.”

NTT has used artificial intelligence-enabled optical detection technology at IMS to provide information to the track’s operations and security teams, helping improve fan traffic flow and safety, the track said.

“IndyCar is a great partner for NTT Data because of our shared commitment to driving innovation, increasing sustainability and delivering amazing experiences,” NTT Data CEO Kaz Nishihata said in a release. “We also appreciate how IndyCar is so diverse, with drivers from 15 different countries, and races that range from short ovals and superspeedways to road and street courses. It’s both an incredible sport and a wonderful example for our world.”

NTT also has been instrumental in helping redesign the IndyCar app and providing more race and driver data for use in NBC Sports’ broadcasts by utilizing 140 data points from every car in the field.

“NTT is fully invested in the development and growth of our sport and has already established a terrific track record in our industry with problem-solving capabilities and access to top talent and tools,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said.

Said NTT Data Services CEO Bob Pryor: “We’re thrilled to continue our collaborations that enhance and expand the fan experience for motorsports and serve as proof points for data analytics, AI, and other innovative digital technologies. For more than a century, this racing series has pioneered innovations making driving safer for everyone, and by continuing this relationship, we will accelerate the pace of innovations and new technologies, particularly related to sustainability that ultimately can benefit organizations, communities and individuals around the world.”

Starting as a Japanese telephone company, NTT grew into a $100 billion-plus tech services giant with U.S. operations based in Plano, Texas.