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Newman gets pole, crashes

Ryan Newman completed a NASCAR pole-position sweep Friday, but will start from the back row in the Nextel Cup race after a crash. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press
Ryan Newman completed a NASCAR pole-position sweep Friday, but will start from the back row in the Nextel Cup race after a crash. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

Despite having the fastest car in qualifying, Ryan Newman is going to have to race from the rear of the field in Sunday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway in Forth Worth, Texas.

Newman’s first qualifying lap of 192.947 mph Friday on the 1.5-mile Texas oval was easily fast enough to beat runner-up Jeff Gordon’s 192.397.

When Newman began his run, Matt Kenseth was on top of the speed chart with a lap of 191.966. Newman’s first lap was much quicker, but NASCAR’s leading qualifier didn’t realize it and kept the gas pedal in his No. 12 Penske Racing South Dodge planted firmly on the floor for a second lap.

The Rocketman didn’t make it to the checkered flag, crashing hard heading into turn four when the right front tire on his speeding car went flat, sending sparks flying and the car skidding straight up the banking into the concrete barrier.

Newman, tied with Carl Edwards for fourth in the season standings and trailing leader Tony Stewart by 107 points with three races remaining in the 10-race Chase for the championship, needs a big day Sunday. But, now, he will have to start from the rear of the 43-car field in a backup car.

Kenseth, who is seventh in the standings, a daunting 155 points behind Stewart, held onto the third spot for Sunday’s race and will actually start from the inside of the front row, alongside Gordon, because of a NASCAR rule that simply moves everyone in the same row forward when someone has to drop back. But Newman is still credited with the pole and starting first because he won’t fall to the rear until after the cars move onto the track Sunday.

Third-place Greg Biffle qualified seventh.

•Newman made it two poles in one day when he had the fastest qualifying lap for the NASCAR Busch race.

Just a couple of hours after earning the pole for the Nextel Cup Dickies 500, Newman captured his third Busch pole of the season with a lap of 189.500 mph for the O’Reilly Challenge.

He will go for his record sixth straight Busch Series victory.

David Stremme qualified his Dodge second at 189.394 mph, followed by Kevin Harvick in a Chevrolet and rookie Jon Wood in a Ford.

NASCAR trucks

Todd Bodine slipped under Mike Skinner with 23 laps to go and then held the lead after a final restart to win the NASCAR truck race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

The Silverado 350 was Bodine’s third victory this season, and the fifth in his career. He also won at Texas last fall.

Champ cars

Paul Tracy pushed his car so hard in practice, he came dangerously close to missing the qualifying round for the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Tracy crashed twice at the Hermanos Rodriguez track before the qualifying round for the Champ Car season finale began. The Canadian recovered and posted the day’s second-fastest time with a lap of 1 minute 27.962 seconds.

A.J. Almendinger secured a front-row start on Sunday with the fastest lap of 1:27.349 at a speed of 114.822 mph. The 22-year-old American took third at the Grand Prix in 2004, when he was rookie of the year.