Bowyer takes pole, earns spot in Shootout
Clint Bowyer took care of one goal Friday with his first Nextel Cup pole. He hopes to accomplish a bigger one tonight at Darlington, S.C.
Bowyer’s lap at 164.987 mph earned him the top starting position for the Dodge Avenger 500 at Darlington Raceway. It also gave him a place in next winter’s Bud Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. His first Nextel Cup victory would put Bowyer in the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge.
“I got in the Bud Shootout, now I’ve got to get in the All-Star race,” Bowyer said. “Maybe this is the weekend I get both of them.”
Two-time defending race champion Greg Biffle was second at 164.878 mph, followed by Jamie McMurray and Carl Edwards. For McMurray, it’s his best starting spot in seven Nextel Cup events at Darlington Raceway.
Kasey Kahne, who had won three of the past four poles at Darlington, was fifth.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who announced his planned departure from Dale Earnhardt Inc. on Thursday, got a big ovation from the fans as he returned to his day job. However, Earnhardt, who hasn’t won in more than year, could do no better than 21st at 162.807.
The struggles of Toyota’s top two racers continued with Dale Jarrett and Michael Waltrip failing to make the race. Rookie David Reutimann had the fastest Toyota, qualifying 14th.
Busch Series
Denny Hamlin won his second straight Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington, S.C., again surviving a wreck-filled Busch Series event at Darlington Raceway.
Hamlin, fourth in the Nextel Cup standings, raced to his third Busch Series victory – winning from the pole. Hamlin picked his way through a record-tying 10 caution periods to take the checkered flag.
Indy Racing League
Speeds crept upward on Fast Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with Scott Dixon setting the pace with the first lap of the month over 227 mph.
That raised a few eyebrows around the speedway on the last full day of practice before the start of qualifying for the May 27 race. But speed is a staple around this nearly 100-year-old racetrack. The big news heading into the first of two weekends of time trials is that Indy Racing League president Brian Barnhart is likely to finally see how the qualifying procedure put into effect two years ago really works.
For each of the past two years, the opening day of qualifying has been washed away by rain.
Today, the first 11 spots in the 33-car field will be filled, with each entry allowed up to three four-lap, 10-mile qualifying runs on the historic 2.5-mile oval. Once those positions are filled, faster cars can bump out the slowest qualifiers until the gun sounds to end the first day at 6 p.m. local time.
Formula One
Two-time defending Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso was fastest in practice sessions for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, Spain.
The McLaren driver had the quickest lap time in the two practice sessions around the 2.875-mile circuit.
Alonso is tied for the championship lead with teammate Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikonnen of Ferrari with 22 points after three races.