Truex takes the pole

Martin Truex Jr. won his third pole of the season Friday, as he will start up front in the 2009 Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 on Sunday.

Truex beat out Kurt Busch for the top spot, while Jimmie Johnson qualified third and is still the pre-race favorite to win.
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Johnson is an 11/5 favorite to win the race according to oddsmakers at the online sports book SPORTSBETTING.com. Other short odds to win are Busch (7/1), Denny Hamlin (7/1), Mark Martin (8/1), and Tony Stewart (10/1).
After finishing 38^th last week in the Dickies 500, Johnson now only leads Martin by 73 points in the standings with two races to go. Johnson has dominated at this track, winning three of the last five events here. Johnson has 10 top-10 finishes in 12 career races at this track.

Busch has one win in his career at Phoenix and has finished in the top 10 seven times in 13 starts. Busch is currently fourth in the point standings and is coming off a win last week in the Dickies 500. The win was his second in 2009.

Hamlin qualified fifth for Sunday’s race and he currently sits eighth in the standings, 322 points behind Johnson. Hamlin has eight starts in Phoenix and has five top-six finishes. Hamlin has finished third on three occasions at this track. Hamlin has finished in the top two in two of his last three races.

Martin qualified 10^th for the race and he has two career wins in Phoenix, including the race at this track earlier this year. Martin has 14 top 10’s in 25 career starts in Phoenix. Martin has five wins in 2009 and has finished in the top eight in two of his last three races.

Stewart will start eighth on Sunday and he currently is fifth in the standings, 178 points behind Johnson. Stewart won his first career start in Phoenix in 1999, but hasn’t won here since. Stewart has nine top-10 finishes in 15 starts at this track and has finished in the top 10 in five of his last seven Sprint Cup races.
The Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 will take place Sunday, Nov. 15 from Phoenix International Raceway at 2:30PM ET. For complete odds and track information on this year’s event, see below.
Odds to win the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 – 2009 Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 – Phoenix International Raceway – Nov. 15, 2009
Jimmie Johnson 11/5    

Kurt Busch 7/1    

Denny Hamlin 7/1    

Mark Martin 8/1    

Tony Stewart 10/1    

Jeff Gordon 12/1    

Kyle Busch 12/1    

Juan Pablo Montoya 15/1    

Greg Biffle 18/1    

Kasey Kahne 18/1    

Clint Bowyer 20/1    

Martin Truex Jr 20/1    

Carl Edwards 25/1    

Dale Earnhardt Jr 25/1    

Matt Kenseth 25/1    

Kevin Harvick 30/1    

Ryan Newman 40/1    

Jeff Burton 50/1    

Joey Logano 60/1    

David Reutimann 60/1    

Jamie McMurray 60/1    

Casey Mears 75/1    

Brian Vickers 75/1    

David Ragan 100/1      

Sam Hornish Jr 100/1    

Marcos Ambrose 200/1    

AJ Allmendinger 200/1    

Brad Keselowski 200/1    

David Gilliland 500/1    

Reed Sorenson 500/1    

Bobby Labonte 500/1    

Elliott Sadler 500/1    

Michael Waltrip 500/1

Field (Any Other Driver) 100/1
2009 Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Information
Race Date: Sunday, Nov. 15
Location: Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, AZ
Pre-Race: 2:30PM ET
Green Flag: Approx. 3:31PM ET
TV Coverage: ABC
Radio Coverage: MRN
Track Type: Oval (312 laps)
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Posted: 11/13/09 10:34PM ET