Qualifying: Todd does it again

Bodine's Route 66/Kmart Ford Taurus was second car out from the 45 attempting to make the 43-car grid, but the 170.326mph lap was enough to hold off anything those running later could manage. To add to Carter's day, his team mate Jimmy Spencer lines up second for the Winston Cup's second Pocono visit in just five weeks.

Last time at the track, Ricky Rudd ended his 88-race win drought with a victory in his Robert Yates Racing Ford. This time, he looks strong again, taking second on the grid, ahead of Mark Martin's Ford and Ken Schrader's Pontiac. Interestingly, it's Yates power under the hoods of the Carter cars too.

"Where did that come from?" shrugged Bodine, who had managed only eighth fastest in practice. "With the Yates motors they do such a great job of tuning them up and getting great horsepower."

Rudd is making a mid-season run for the head of the points table and noted: "We've been gaining momentum since Texas and we're keeping getting better."

Rudd's team mate Dale Jarrett is joint points-leader with Hendrick Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon, but Jarrett will have to start in a provisional slot - 37th - after tweaking his car's set-up and finding it merely produced excess oversteer. Gordon, meanwhile, starts eighth.

Casey Atwood was top Dodge in fifth, with Kevin Harvick's Chevy completing the top six.


Todd Bodine, Ford, 52.840s, 170.326mph
Ricky Rudd, Ford, 52.856s
Mark Martin, Ford, 53.059s
Ken Schrader, Pontiac, 53.100s
Casey Atwood, Dodge, 53.101s
Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 53.163s
Jimmy Spencer, Ford, 53.200s
Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 53.203s
Johnny Benson, Pontiac, 53.291s
Sterling Marlin, Dodge, 53.303s
Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 53.327s
Dale Earnhardt Jr, Chevrolet, 53.329s
Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 53.429s
Bill Elliott, Dodge, 53.439s
Dave Blaney, Dodge, 53.466s
Robert Pressley, Ford, 53.483s
Stacy Compton, Dodge, 53.488s
Jeff Burton, Ford, 53.491s
Kevin Lepage, Chevrolet, 53.536s
Ricky Craven, Ford, 53.567s
Jason Leffler, Dodge, 53.579s
Rusty Wallace, Ford, 53.586s
Michael Waltrip, Chevrolet, 53.593s
Matt Kenseth, Ford, 53.602s
Jeremy Mayfield, Ford, 53.699s
Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 53.757s
Brett Bodine, Ford, 53.758s
John Andretti, Dodge, 53.892s
Bobby Hamilton, Chevrolet, 53.896s
Hut Stricklin, Ford, 53.946s
Ron Hornaday, Pontiac, 53.965s
Mike Wallace, Ford, 53.979s
Elliott Sadler, Ford, 54.021s
Ward Burton, Dodge, 54.041s
Kurt Busch, Ford, 54.200s
Robby Gordon, Chevrolet, 54.273s
Dale Jarrett, Ford, Provisional
Steve Park, Chevrolet, Provisional
Jerry Nadeau, Chevrolet, Provisional
Terry Labonte, Chevrolet, Provisional
Buckshot Jones, Dodge, Provisional
Kyle Petty, Dodge, Provisional
Rick Mast, Pontiac, Provisional


Andy Hillenburg, Pontiac
Carl Long, Ford
Shaggy, Mystery Mobile