Qualifying: Stewart shows his class

The Joe Gibbs Pontiac star is one of the drivers who is all for NASCAR racing at the California track and Watkins Glen, whereas many would prefer to stick to ovals. Stewart said that the tracks with more than left turns give a chance for drivers and teams to showcase their talents in different ways.

"There is no track where it's just the car, I don't want to make it sound that way," he said. "But I would be very surprised if you've heard anybody talk about any certain manufacturer having an advantage here. So it is gratifying, knowing that it comes down to crew chiefs and the drivers and trying to find the right set-ups to go fast.

Stewart was an impressive two seconds faster than his nearest rival Kurt Busch. Jeff Burton put in his best qualifying perfromance of the season by going third, with Jeff Gordon fourth, Bill Elliott fifth and Matt Kenseth sixth.

"Coming to a road course is almost a luxury," Stewart continued. "It's nice to be able to go somewhere else other than a 1.5mi oval. I'm so tired of going to 1.5mi ovals already this year. That's all people want to build. So to come some place where you turn right and do something
totally different is really nice."

Trans-Am ace Boris Said and GTS racer Ron Fellows, both of whom are making special road course appearances in the Winston Cup, were 10th and 19th respectively.