Engine failure costs Newman pole

Newman took pole position yesterday being far quicker than his rivals during qualifying but he had said his car had a small misfire when he started his run.

"I had a little miss in the engine. Seriously," Newman said yesterday after claiming pole.

"It missed a little bit when I went from third to fourth gear. When I was in fourth at the end of the straightaway at the top of the rpm curve it messed a little bit again."

After only nine laps during the morning Nextel Cup practice, the engine on Newman's No. 12 Penske Dodge blew up, forcing an engine change that will put him last on the grid for Sunday's race.

"It started tightening up coming off turn four and we had a pretty good amount of oil in one of the spark plugs," Newman said.

"Something was wrong. This is the best racetrack if you have to go to the rear. Obviously we don't want to do it, but we've got a great car.

"Yesterday was good. I'm not going to complain at all about luck or a break. This stuff happens once in a while. It's no fun when it happens. The #2 car had a problem at Vegas and we're having a problem here. The guys at the engine shop are working hard and we'll carry on."

Elliot Sadler, who qualified second will now head the field in front of Jimmie Johnson and pointsleader Mark Martin.

Newman will start the parade laps from the front but will then drop back before the green flag waves.