Sadler earns first pole since 2003

It took a strong qualifying run by Elliott Sadler to end Jeff Gordon’s hold on the front row at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Sadler ran a lap at 127.733 mph Friday in Bristol, Tenn., to win the pole, his first since Sept. 2003. It comes at the same track where Sadler scored his first career victory four years ago in the Food City 500.

“This is a very special place,” Sadler said. “I haven’t had a pole in a long time, and I really wanted this bad. I can’t think of a better place than Bristol, and I feel like I already won the race.”

Dave Blaney qualified second and Rusty Wallace, who has nine Bristol victories, was third.

“I really wanted the pole here, but this is OK, too,” said Wallace, who is retiring at the end of the year.

Gordon, who has qualified on the front row the last six races here, was fourth. He is seeking his fifth win in Bristol’s spring race, and still thinks he has a chance.

“I think good starting position is so critical, especially at short tracks,” Gordon said. “We haven’t been qualifying that good this year, but this is a start.”

Childress wants penalty overhaul

Still seething over the punishment Kevin Harvick’s team received for cheating last month, car owner Richard Childress called on NASCAR to overhaul its penalty process and stop taking points away from drivers.

“They’ve got to come up with a way to penalize the owners, take my car, do something,” Childress said at Bristol Motor Speedway. “But you need to leave the drivers’ points alone. That’s a stick (NASCAR) can hold over your head, but it’s not a fair stick.”

Harvick and Childress were docked 25 points each in their respective standings, and crew chief Todd Berrier was fined $25,000 and suspended for four races for illegally rigging Harvick’s fuel tank at a race in Las Vegas.

Childress appealed the penalties, hoping to have Harvick’s points restored and Berrier’s suspension reduced, but the National Stock Car Racing Commission upheld the penalties earlier this week.

IRL drivers like new turns

Dario Franchitti was grinning nearly ear-to-ear after making his first laps on the temporary street circuit at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Fla.).

“It’s great to be back in the streets,” Franchitti said.

After nine years of making only left hand turns, the Indy Racing League’s drivers finally have a reason to turn right.

More than half the 14 turns on the 1.8-mile downtown course are rights, and that brought smiles to the faces of most of the IndyCar Series drivers, several of whom spent their early careers in the rival Champ Car World Series – formerly called CART.

“It’s an interesting course to drive,” Franchitti said. “It’s a technical course. There are a couple of quick corners you can’t just barrel into. You have to be balanced. But at the same time, there are some really fun parts of the course.”