Qualifying notes from Bristol

"I finally got with a group of guys that I've got a lot of confidence in and they've got a lot of confidence in me," Petty said. "Chris Hussey (crew chief) made a couple of adjustments right before qualifying. He learned a lot working with Adam (Kyle's son who was killed in a crash at New Hampshire International Speedway last May) I guess because I'm not teaching him anything.

"I didn't know we'd end up seventh, but I knew we had made the race and the way things have been going, that's all that really mattered."


Kevin Harvick continues to impress, as the driver who replaced the late Dale Earnhardt qualified third with a lap at 125.354 miles per hour in the Goodwrench Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.

"We're pretty good," Harvick said. "It was actually a little bit loose and you've just got to hold on and try to keep it off the fence. These Goodwrench guys have given me an awesome car since we unloaded. I can hardly talk, I'm shaking so much."


Qualifying for The Winston, NASCAR's all-star race, will feature a four-tyre pit stop at the beginning of each team's qualifying attempt. In the past, qualifying has included a two-tyre stop somewhere within the multi-lap qualifying process. The Winston is set for Saturday night, May 19 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte.

"NASCAR Winston Cup racing is a team sport," Rick Sanders, president of RJR's Sports Marketing Enterprises said. "Just last weekend at Darlington, Dale Jarrett's pit crew put him back on the track ahead of the field late in the race, and he went on to win. By including a four-tyre stop, we are able to place even more emphasis on the team. The drivers are the all-stars of NASCAR Winston Cup racing, but the crews are all-stars, too."

The remaining NASCAR Winston Cup drivers will attempt to qualify for The Winston through The Winston Open and The No Bull Sprint races run immediately prior to The Winston. Qualifying for The Winston Open will be Friday night, May 18th. A two-lap qualifying format replaces the No Bull 25 qualifying races. The winner of The Winston Open, a 30-lap affair, will advance into The Winston.

Following the Winston Open, the winner will go to victory lane. The remaining cars will stay on the track for four caution laps followed by the 16-lap No Bull Sprint. Teams may elect to pit during the caution period, but they will lose track position. The winner of the No Bull Sprint will also advance into The Winston.

The format of The Winston will again be three segments of 30, 30 and 10 laps, respectively. Only green-flag laps count in The Winston. Following the first 30-lap segment, there will be a 10-minute break, and the field will be inverted between six and 12 positions. The actual inversion process and number will be announced at a later date.

Following the second segment, pit road will open, but the pace car will remain on the track. Teams may pit, but they will lose track position. All restarts in The Winston will be double-file. The first row will consist of the cars running first and second. The second row will consist of the cars running third and fourth, etc. Cars not on the lead lap will restart behind all lead-lap cars.