Newman ends pole drought at New Hampshire
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Newman winning NASCAR Nextel Cup poles used to be such a regular occurrence that it was surprising when he didn?t get the job done in qualifying.
He came into the 2006 season with 35 poles in his first five seasons ? far more than any other Cup driver during the same period. But NASCAR?s ?Rocketman? has fizzled most of this season, winning just one pole in the first 18 races.
Worse, his performance in the races has been just as disappointing. Newman, who has never finished outside the top 10 in his Cup career, is 18th in the points and all but eliminated from contention for the Chase for the championship.
?It?s been very difficult, frustrating,? Newman said after posting a lap of 129.683 mph in Friday?s qualifying.
Jeff Burton was the runner-up at 129.651, followed by Brian Vickers at 129.626, Kyle Busch at 129.485, defending race winner Tony Stewart at 129.024, series points leader Jimmie Johnson at 128.994 and Jeff Gordon, last week?s winner at Chicagoland Speedway, at 128.976.
After starting 12th and finishing 36th last week, Newman was thankful for a good day on the 1-mile New Hampshire oval.
?Things have just clicked for us at this track,? said Newman, whose No. 12 Penske Racing South Dodge has two wins and four poles here. ?That used to happen in Charlotte and it used to happen in Dover, but not lately.
?This year and last year, we?ve put more emphasis on our race trim in practice and that?s been a double hitter for us because we?ve not been able to fix our race setup and now we?re not qualifying well, either,? he added.
Asked if he believes he could still qualify for the Chase with eight races to go, Newman said, ?I think we can make a run. Really, we have to turn it around on our mile-and-a-half stuff and do well on the tracks where we expect to do well.?
Today?s Lineup
1. 12. Ryan Newman, Dodge, 29.370 seconds (129.683 m.p.h.)
2. 31. Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 29.377
3. 25. Brian Vickers, Chevrolet, 29.383
4. 5. Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 29.415
5. 20. Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 29.520
6. 48. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 29.527
7. 24. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 29.531
8. 1. Martin Truex, Jr., Chevrolet, 29.565
9. 41. Reed Sorenson, Dodge, 29.579
10. 2. Kurt Busch, Dodge, 29.596
11. 9. Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 29.597
12. 11. Denny Hamlin, Chevrolet, 29.606
13. 6. Mark Martin, Ford, 29.651
14. 29. Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 29.656
15. 96. Tony Raines, Chevrolet, 29.663
16. 01. Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 29.666
17. 99. Carl Edwards, Ford, 29.691
18. 38. Elliott Sadler, Ford, 29.694
19. 78. Kenny Wallace, Chevrolet, 29.709
20. 18. J.J. Yeley, Chevrolet, 29.716
21. 21. Ken Schrader, Ford, 29.735
22. 40. David Stremme, Dodge, 29.737
23. 14. Sterling Marlin, Chevrolet, 29.751
24. 17. Matt Kenseth, Ford, 29.764
25. 8. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 29.798
26. 16. Greg Biffle, Ford, 29.807
27. 43. Bobby Labonte, Dodge, 29.818
28. 22. Dave Blaney, Dodge, 29.821
29. 42. Casey Mears, Dodge, 29.823
30. 32. Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, 29.825
31. 07. Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 29.846
32. 88. Dale Jarrett, Ford, 29.861
33. 26. Jamie McMurray, Ford, 29.867
34. 7. Robby Gordon, Chevrolet, 29.895
35. 66. Jeff Green, Chevrolet, 29.897
36. 4. Scott Wimmer, Chevrolet, 29.946
37. 19. Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge, 29.982
38. 49. Kevin Lepage, Dodge, 29.996
39. 55. Michael Waltrip, Dodge, 30.004
40. 95. Stanton Barrett, Chevrolet, 30.072
41. 45. Kyle Petty, Dodge, 30.117
42. 10. Scott Riggs, Dodge, 30.149
43. 00. Bill Elliott, Chevrolet, past champion