Sadler takes Talladega pole
Elliott Sadler dominated qualifying for the Aarons 499 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Talladega
The Robert Yates Racing Ford driver was early in the running order, and his 50.798 second lap proved unbeatable, no other competitor getting within 0.231 seconds of Sadler's mark.
"Everybody in the shop has done a great job," said Sadler. "To come here and sit on the pole is awesome. This racetrack means a lot to Robert Yates Racing. We want to run good each and every time we come here, and I think we've got a great chance of winning this race tomorrow."
Tony Stewart ended up second quickest, but the reigning champion was one of many drivers keen to point out that qualifying performance at a restrictor plate track like the Alabama superspeedway has little to do with driver ability.
"The drivers don't do anything," Stewart said. "All we do is make sure that we shift at the right rpm and then just ride it around there.
"I was surprised, I didn't think we were going to run that quick, especially with the way the wind got up, so I was very happy with the way it went."
Carl Edwards will start third, ahead of Dale Jarrett and Kurt Busch.
The wind increased towards the end of the three hours of qualifying, adversely affecting many of the drivers further down the list.
Crowd favourite Dale Earnhardt Jr, who is running in his late father's famous black livery this weekend to commemorate what would have been Earnhardt's 55th birthday, was only 27th quickest, but qualifying positions are unlikely to have much relevance once the race gets underway on Sunday afternoon.
Kevin Harvick, who took Earnhardt's place after his death at the 2001 Daytona 500, fared worse still in 46th place, but he will qualify for the race via his team's position in the current standings.
Qualifying times
Pos Driver Make Speed Time 1. Elliott Sadler Ford 188.511 50.798 2. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 187.658 51.029 + 0.231 3. Carl Edwards Ford 187.320 51.121 + 0.323 4. Dale Jarrett Ford 187.232 51.145 + 0.347 5. Kurt Busch Dodge 187.137 51.171 + 0.373 6. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 187.130 51.173 + 0.375 7. Greg Biffle Ford 186.991 51.211 + 0.413 8. Jamie McMurray Ford 186.933 51.227 + 0.429 9. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 186.925 51.229 + 0.431 10. Mark Martin Ford 186.856 51.248 + 0.450 11. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 186.827 51.256 + 0.458 12. Matt Kenseth Ford 186.685 51.295 + 0.497 13. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 186.652 51.304 + 0.506 14. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 186.587 51.322 + 0.524 15. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 186.521 51.340 + 0.542 16. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 186.478 51.352 + 0.554 17. David Stremme Dodge 186.463 51.356 + 0.558 18. Ryan Newman Dodge 186.427 51.366 + 0.568 19. Robby Gordon Chevrolet 186.217 51.424 + 0.626 20. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 186.018 51.479 + 0.681 21. Michael Waltrip Dodge 185.971 51.492 + 0.694 22. Kirk Shelmerdine Chevrolet 185.787 51.543 + 0.745 23. Kevin Lepage Ford 185.761 51.550 + 0.752 24. Hermie Sadler Ford 185.758 51.551 + 0.753 25. Casey Mears Dodge 185.689 51.570 + 0.772 26. Travis Kvapil Chevrolet 185.632 51.586 + 0.788 27. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 185.578 51.601 + 0.803 28. Kyle Petty Dodge 185.571 51.603 + 0.805 29. Tony Raines Chevrolet 185.527 51.615 + 0.817 30. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 185.445 51.638 + 0.840 31. Bobby Labonte Dodge 185.423 51.644 + 0.846 32. Scott Riggs Dodge 185.423 51.644 + 0.846 33. Brian Vickers Chevrolet 185.348 51.665 + 0.867 34. Chad Chaffin Chevrolet 185.230 51.698 + 0.900 35. Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 185.154 51.719 + 0.921 36. Ken Schrader Ford 185.140 51.723 + 0.925 37. Jeremy Mayfield Dodge 185.126 51.727 + 0.929 38. Kasey Kahne Dodge 185.104 51.733 + 0.935 39. Morgan Shepherd Dodge 184.847 51.805 + 1.007 40. Dave Blaney Dodge 184.815 51.814 + 1.016 41. Stanton Barrett Chevrolet 184.811 51.815 + 1.017 42. Mike Wallace Ford 184.590 51.877 + 1.079 43. Jeff Green Chevrolet 184.249 51.973 + 1.175 44. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 184.012 52.040 + 1.242 45. Reed Sorenson Dodge 183.892 52.074 + 1.276 46. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 183.864 52.082 + 1.284 47. Chad Blount Dodge 183.361 52.225 + 1.427 48. Brent Sherman Dodge 183.014 52.324 + 1.526 49. Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 182.598 52.443 + 1.645
Share Or Save This Story
Hamilton accepts blame for incident with Albon in F1 Brazilian GP
Ferrari drivers called to F1 stewards over Brazilian GP collision
Will Alonso's Indy failure end the age of versatility?
Title-winning BTCC Peugeot and Harvey in an MG among Touring Car Rewind: North highlights
MotoGP Barcelona test: Acosta fastest as rain curtails running early
Why this year's Indy 500 isn't as straightforward to call as you might expect
Will Mercedes or McLaren land the next punch at F1's Canadian GP?
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments