Qualifying: Rookie Atwood takes pole

Atwood became the 17th different driver to win a NASCAR Winston Cup pole this season. He also became the third rookie driver to win a pole in 2001, equaling the record for the number of rookies to win a pole in a single season (1979). "It's real exciting, I'm really happy for everybody on this team," said Atwood, who drives for Evernham Motorsports. "Bill Elliott, my teammate, got a pole earlier this year and I'm glad to get one at the end of this year for Evernham Motorsports and Dodge.

"The car was actually loose, but I felt like it was a real good lap. It got sideways off Turn 2, but it did the same thing in practice. I've had two Busch races here and we always ran pretty good in that series. This is a good track for me. I really like it. And this team deserves a pole. We've had our share of struggles this year. It would mean a lot to me to get them their first pole of the year."

Fellow Dodge driver John Andretti was second at 131.071 mph. "A pole would have been nice for a lot of reasons," said Andretti, who drives for Petty Enterprises. "I think this has been a very difficult season. With 43 guys out there every weekend, our team has sort of been in hiding the whole year. Kyle has put a lot of effort into this and the Petty team has put a lot of money and energy into it. I think they deserve some recognition for that and a pole would have helped give us that, but second is a step forward."

Jeff Burton was third in a Ford at 130.976 mph. "At this track you can really change your driving style and make the car do something different and I didn't expect it to be that tight," Burton said. "We knew to loosen it up some and that was a good run for us. That will give us a good pit selection."

The flat, 1.0-mile Phoenix International Raceway is a classic short oval on the NASCAR Winston Cup schedule. Unlike last week's race at the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway, qualifications play a very important role in how well a driver does in the race. That is why starting up front is very important. "It's always pretty hard to pass on these tracks," Atwood said. "Anywhere in the top 15 or 20 is a good starting place, but there's no better position to start than out front. "Hopefully we can stay there all day. If we can stay in the top 10 or top five all day, and keep our car running good, we'll have a shot to win."