Bowyer captures pole for Chase opener
Clint Bowyer nipped Martin Truex Jr. for the pole Friday in qualifying for the opening race of NASCAR’s Chase for the Nextel Cup championship in Loudon, N.H.
Bowyer, the 45th of 49 drivers to make a qualifying attempt on the 1.058-mile oval at New Hampshire International Speedway, turned a fast lap of 130.412 mph to knock Truex (130.255) off the top spot for Sunday’s Sylvania 300.
Most important for Bowyer, it’s his first start better than 24th in five races at NHIS and gets the only one of the 12 drivers in the Chase without a race win off to a great start in the playoff.
“It’s just exciting,” said Bowyer.
He and Truex are the only first-time drivers in the 10-race Chase.
Kurt Busch was third at 130.011, followed by Chase points leader and reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson at 129.798.
“NASCAR is considering creating a reward for the winner of the “regular season” in response to the huge points lead Jeff Gordon built before the Chase for the championship.
Gordon will start the Chase in second place. Jimmie Johnson, his teammate, is the new leader based on his six regular-season victories.
Formula One
World champion Fernando Alonso knew a lot about Ferrari – even down to what high-tech substance it used to inflate its tires to keep them from blistering.
In the biggest scandal to hit one of the world’s most popular sports, FIA implicated McLaren’s top driver and its test driver, Pedro de la Rosa, through a trail of e-mail exchanges.
McLaren will be fined a record $100 million and be expelled from this year’s constructors’ championship for receiving confidential information.