1 #12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL 193.575 28.640 Leader
2 #25 Brian Vickers* Chevrolet GMAC Financial Services 192.634 28.780 -0.140
3 #48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's 192.380 28.818 -0.178
4 #24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 192.366 28.820 -0.180
5 #38 Elliott Sadler Ford M&M's 191.344 28.974 -0.334
6 #88 Dale Jarrett Ford UPS/Arnold Palmer Tribute 191.331 28.976 -0.336
7 #8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Budweiser 191.278 28.984 -0.344
8 #29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet GM Goodwrench 191.232 28.991 -0.351
9 #41 Casey Mears Dodge Target 191.212 28.994 -0.354
10 #18 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Interstate Batteries 191.159 29.002 -0.362
11 #2 Rusty Wallace Dodge Miller Lite 190.942 29.035 -0.395
12 #9 Kasey Kahne* Dodge Dodge Dealers/UAW 190.811 29.055 -0.415
13 #16 Greg Biffle Ford National Guard 190.594 29.088 -0.448
14 #23 Dave Blaney Dodge Bill Davis Racing 190.502 29.102 -0.462
15 #19 Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Dodge Dealers/UAW 190.470 29.107 -0.467
16 #15 Michael Waltrip Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts 190.470 29.107 -0.467
17 #10 Scott Riggs* Chevrolet Valvoline 190.156 29.155 -0.515
18 #43 Jeff Green Dodge Cheerios/Betty Crocker 190.065 29.169 -0.529
19 #20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Home Depot 190.019 29.176 -0.536
20 #97 Kurt Busch Ford IRWIN Industrial Tools 189.902 29.194 -0.554
21 #0 Ward Burton Chevrolet NetZero HiSpeed 189.850 29.202 -0.562
22 #42 Jamie McMurray Dodge Texaco/Havoline 189.733 29.220 -0.580
23 #31 Robby Gordon Chevrolet Cingular Wireless 189.707 29.224 -0.584
24 #49 Ken Schrader Dodge Schwan's Home Service 189.675 29.229 -0.589
25 #77 Brendan Gaughan* Dodge Kodak EasyShare 189.642 29.234 -0.594
26 #01 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet U.S. Army 189.467 29.261 -0.621
27 #45 Kyle Petty Dodge Georgia Pacific/Brawny 188.758 29.371 -0.731
28 #6 Mark Martin Ford Viagra 188.604 29.395 -0.755
29 #32 Ricky Craven Chevrolet Tide 188.430 29.422 -0.782
30 #17 Matt Kenseth Ford DeWalt Power Tools 188.117 29.471 -0.831
31 #40 Sterling Marlin Dodge Coors Light 188.085 29.476 -0.836
32 #99 Jeff Burton Ford SKF 187.913 29.503 -0.863
33 #21 Ricky Rudd Ford Motorcraft/U.S. Air Force 187.805 29.520 -0.880
34 #50 Derrike Cope Dodge redneckjunk.com 187.786 29.523 -0.883
35 #4 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet Morgan-McClure 187.519 29.565 -0.925
36 #5 Terry Labonte Chevrolet Kellogg's 186.988 29.649 -1.009
37 #22 Scott Wimmer* Dodge Caterpillar 186.912 29.661 -1.021
38 #198 Todd Bodine Ford Lucas Oil Products 186.322 29.755 -1.115

Provisional
39 #30 Johnny Sauter* Chevrolet America Online 186.171 29.779 -1.139
40 #09 Joe Ruttman Dodge Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts 185.822 29.835 -1.195
41 #02 Andy Belmont Pontiac Intell Food Brokers 172.630 32.115 -3.475
42 #172 Kirk Shelmerdine Ford TUCSON 178.413 31.074 -2.434
43 #280 Andy Hillenburg Ford Commercial Truck & Trailer 174.642 31.745 -3.105

 

HELL YEA!! That's my boy!!

~Amanda

 

Now, if he can only WIN!!![sm=smiley20.gif]

 

Yeah that's the thing, poles isn't going to help him win a championship

 

But the Bud Pole Award is a nice chunk of change for being the fastest...

~Amanda

 

I agree with that, I would like to see him win a few though.

 

OOoooh as would I, I just don't think that it's as easy to win for him... he's always flipping through the air. LOL!

But really... he wins plenty... 8 times last year. He's just getting warmed up this year...

~Amanda

 

* Ryan Newman won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Bud Pole for the Golden Corral 500, lapping Atlanta Motor Speedway in 28.640 seconds at 193.575 mph. Geoffrey Bodine holds the track-qualifying record of 28.074 seconds, 197.478 mph, set Nov. 15, 1997. * This is Newman's 20th career Bud Pole in 84 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races. His most recent Bud Pole came at Rockingham two races ago. It is his third straight top-five start this season. * It is Newman's third consecutive Bud Pole at Atlanta. He has started sixth or better in all five of his Atlanta races. This is the first time that a driver has won three straight Bud Poles on a superspeedway since Kyle Petty won four straight at Rockingham (1991-1992). * Brian Vickers had the second-fastest time with a qualifying lap of 28.780 seconds at 192.634 mph and will join Newman on the front row. It is his career-best start. It is his second start and second top-five at Atlanta. * This is third Bud Pole for Dodge in 2004. Ford has the other Bud Pole this season. * Jimmie Johnson (third) posted his second top-10 start in 2004 and his third in six races at Atlanta. * Jeff Gordon (fourth) posted his second top-10 start in 2004. It is his 12th top-10 start in 24 races at Atlanta but only his second in the past six races here. * Elliott Sadler (fifth) posted his second top-10 start in 2004 and his third in 11 races at Atlanta, all in the past three races here. * Johnny Sauter, Joe Ruttman and Andy Belmont used provisionals while Kirk Shelmerdine and Andy Hillenburg completed the 43-car field based on attempts. One driver failed to qualify for the Golden Corral 500: Morgan Shepherd. * This will be Belmont's 11th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race, his first since Darlington in September 1992. * No driver has posted a top-10 start in every race this season. * Bodine's qualifying speed of 197.478 mph remains the fastest qualifying lap on a non-restrictor-plate track in the history of NASCAR. * There have been 10 different Bud Pole winners in the 14 races at Atlanta since the track size changed in the fall of 1997. Only Dale Jarrett (March 2000 and 2001) and Ryan Newman (both races in 2003 and spring 2004) have scored multiple Bud Poles on the new configuration. Qualifying was canceled due to weather in October 2002. * Thirteen races at Atlanta have been won from the Bud Pole. Nine drivers have won from the second-place starting position giving 25 percent of the victories posted there to the front-row starting spots. Fifty-one victories have come from the top five. * The last spring race that was won at Atlanta by the Bud Pole sitter dates back to 1979 (Buddy Baker). The last time a race was won by the Bud pole winner at Atlanta was in November 1996 (Bobby Labonte). The best finish by a Bud Pole winner on the new track size was second by Jerry Nadeau in November 2000.(NASCAR Statistical Services)(3-13-2004)

redriderbob

 

Fastest to 20 Poles: with his 20th pole in 84 races, #12-Ryan Newman is the 2nd fastest driver to get to 20 poles, the list of the top 15:
Fonty Flock 68 race
Ryan Newman 84 Fred Lorenzen 87
Dick Hutcherson 91
Herb Thomas 104
Tim Flock 120
Rex White 135
Fireball Roberts 138
Buck Baker 157
Bobby Isaac 162
Jeff Gordon 171
David Pearson 180
Alan Kulwicki 180
Geoffrey Bodine 181
Bill Elliott 191
(NASCAR Statistical Services)(3-13-2004)

redriderbob

 

Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth chat in the garage at Atlanta Friday afternoon.

Ricky Craven and crew chief David Charpentier discuss their setup in the garage area at Atlanta.

Brendan Gaughan talks with No. 77 crewmembers during a break at Atlanta.

Ryan Newman won his second Bud Pole of the young season and his third in a row at AMS.

Brian Vickers waits in the garage at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Dale Jarrett will run a Arnold Palmer tribute painst scheme at Atlanta.

Kurt Busch got into trouble during Friday's practice: "In Turn 2, the car slipped out from underneath me. I had too much wheel input into it," he said.

redriderbob