Newman's 6th straight Atlanta pole
Ryan Newman consolidated his reputation as NASCAR's fastest man, claiming his sixth consecutive pole position at Atlanta Super Speedway
Newman's lap of 193.928mph took him to his 33rd career pole pole and the sixth of this season, making the 28-year-old the most successful qualifier in NASCAR history.
"I told the team I was going for two laps if I didn't get everything on the first one," Newman said after jumping out of his No. 12 Dodge. "I ran it again and she felt pretty good. It was pretty darn close to a perfect lap. If anybody can beat it, they can have it."
But Newman's lap was never seriously challenged, and after the session was over he added: "To come back here six times in a row with different race cars, different team members, and under different conditions is a great feat. I am looking forward to Sunday."
Atlanta winner in March Carl Edwards lines up second, alongside Newman, but the runner-up admitted the pole-sitter was untouchable.
"I was just impressed that his first lap was four-tenths quicker than anybody else, and his second lap was even quicker," Edwards said.
But qualifying is one thing; winning the race on the fast oval is quite another - something Newman himself knows quite well, given that he has never finished on the podium in Atlanta despite the streak of poles.
"We enjoy this track. It's very fast and I really enjoy qualifying here. But it's a handful in the race," Newman said.
Newman could use the win, though. He is third in the Chase for the Cup standings, only 63 points behind leader Tony Stewart, while Greg Biggle is trailing him in fourth place with just 20 points.
Stewart qualified tenth today, while Biffle ended up 16th on the grid.
Pos Driver Make Speed 1. Ryan Newman Dodge 193.928 Chase 2. Carl Edwards Ford 193.420 Chase 3. Elliott Sadler Ford 193.373 4. Mark Martin Ford 192.520 Chase 5. Dave Blaney Chevrolet 192.173 6. Kasey Kahne Dodge 191.980 7. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 191.814 8. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 191.741 9. Dale Jarrett Ford 191.721 10. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 191.688 Chase 11. Brian Vickers Chevrolet 191.609 12. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 191.569 Chase 13. Kevin Lepage Ford 191.483 14. Jeff Green Dodge 191.331 15. Mike Skinner Dodge 191.107 16. Greg Biffle Ford 191.080 Chase 17. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 191.080 18. Jeremy Mayfield Dodge 190.653 Chase 19. Johnny Benson Dodge 190.653 20. Carl Long Dodge 190.640 21. Mike Bliss Chevrolet 190.568 22. Reed Sorenson Dodge 190.476 23. Matt Kenseth Ford 190.470 Chase 24. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 190.463 25. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 190.182 26. Bobby Hamilton Dodge 190.156 27. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 190.026 28. Jamie McMurray Dodge 189.928 29. Ricky Rudd Ford 189.876 30. Kurt Busch Ford 189.798 Chase 31. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 189.636 32. Rusty Wallace Dodge 189.396 Chase 33. Sterling Marlin Dodge 189.299 34. Scott Riggs Chevrolet 188.976 35. Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 188.822 36. Scott Wimmer Dodge 188.725 37. Michael Waltrip Chevrolet 188.706 38. Casey Mears Dodge 188.514 39. Kyle Petty+ Dodge 188.373 40. Travis Kvapil+ Dodge 187.964 41. Jeff Burton+ Chevrolet 187.824 42. Ken Schrader+ Dodge 187.259 43. Chad Chaffin Chevrolet 189.694
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