Pontiacs In Front Row

If first-round qualifying for Sunday’s Primestar 500 is any indication, NASCAR’s latest rule change to slow down the Fords worked - sort of.

Pontiac Grand Prixs driven by John Andretti and surprising Todd Bodine took the front-row positions in Friday’s time trials on Atlanta Motor Speedway’s 1.54-mile oval in Hampton, Ga. Fords, however, took the next four spots.

Steve Park, a rookie who drives for NASCAR Winston Cup star Dale Earnhardt, sustained multiple fractures in a crash during practice.

Finland’s Mika Hakkinen won a thrilling qualifying duel with McLaren teammate David Coulthard to claim the pole position for the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne.