Newman Storms to Ninth Pole of 2003
Written by John Davison · October 24, 2003
Hampton, GA - October 24, 2003 - Ryan Newman continued his domination of qualifying for NASCAR’s final season of Winston Cup races tonight at 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway. Newman earned his ninth pole of the year by a margin of .041 second over Bobby Labonte with a lap of 28.534 sec/194.294 mph.
Third starter will be final qualifier Dale Earnhardt Jr, a further .103 second behind Newman. Brian Vickers, jumping into the No. 25 UAW/Delphi Chevy in preparation for the 2004 season of “Nextel Cup” races was fourth with veteran Georgia driver Bill Elliott fifth. “I’m just glad it’s over,” said Elliott. “I didn’t lift. It’s so much different from qualifying to racing here. It’s a different world. Qualifying at night didn’t bother me, night, day, whatever it takes. I’m glad we’re not racing here at night.”
Newman’s quick lap proved the fastest qualifying lap of the 2003 season. With all the tracks remaining significantly slower, this will stand for the final three races. Newman won the 2002 Bud Pole Award for winning the most poles in the season and now has clinched the 2003 award. In 2002, Newman started from the pole in seven races of his rookie year. So far this season, he has nine poles for a career total of 16, with three races left in 2003. Newman’s 16 poles have come in 77 total starts for a 21% pole winning rate.
“That was a strong lap. I really like this racetrack. It’s been good for me,” explained Newman. “We’ve got a good qualifying history here, and our race history isn’t bad. We’ll do what we can to get the ALLTEL/Mobil 1 Dodge better in race trim, but it sure felt good in qualifying trim. My first lap out on the racetrack, I hit everything right and the balance was right. My second lap, the 6 blew up in front of me, so we couldn’t back anything up. The car was really good right off the truck, and that makes it easier for me. It’d be cool to win the Bud Pole Award again, but we’re just out there doing the best we can each and every time whether it’s in qualifying or in race trim. The guys did an awesome job, and I’m just proud to be able to qualify like that.”
Newman could not relax and celebrate his pole position until after the final car, Dale Earnhardt Jr, had run. There were several strong qualifiers who ran later in the evening than the former open-wheel standout.
“I knew the potential was definitely there (for someone to go faster)” said Newman. “I said in my post-qualifying interview I felt the car balance was just a bit off and we could have a tick more speed. I thought it was a good lap. I knew Vickers had a good car and was running good. You never count out Bobby Labonte or Bill Elliott at this racetrack. It was just a ticking timebomb to see if it went off.
“Nobody knows when Ricky (Rudd) started in ‘77. I was born in ‘77. That’s 25 or 26 years he’s been driving in Winston Cup. I don’t see myself driving that long. Nobody knows what it’s going to be like 20 years from now, world wise, race wise or anything else. There’s a lot of things that’s changed from the time he was a rookie to where he is now. There’s going to be a lot of things than change from when I was a rookie until then. It all depends on how things go. I don’t really know. I don’t think I would race quite that long.
Following Brian Vickers’ qualifying session, Newman walked over to Vickers to check on the new driver in the field: “I ran my lap and came in, got out of the car, did a couple of interviews. Brian Vickers was still in the car. I walked over to him and stuck my hand out and he thought I wanted to shake his hand. I said, ‘no put your hand out. I want to see if it’s still shaking’” quipped Newman. “He either had less time to think about shaking or he wasn’t shaking as bad as I was. It definitely gets to your nerves, just trying to hit your marks and do your job. If you’re concentrated and focused you’ll put that pressure on yourself and do those things.
“It’s only scary when you lose that bit of control. You can be off a foot in entry and you can be off three feet in the exit. That can make the difference in hitting the wall and not hitting the wall. That’s the scary part, you have to know in three and four if you’re going to be close to the wall coming off four. You’ve got a second and half to figure that out, and that happens quick when you’re running 195 mph. That’s the scary part being able to predict the path your car is going to take if you’re a little bit loose or a little bit tight.”
Earlier in the day, Dale Jarrett and Robert Yates Racing announced that “DJ” will be in the RYR seat through the 2006 season, ending more speculation about the future of that team.
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Behind
1) Ryan Newman , No. 12 Mobil 1/ALLTEL Dodge, 28.534 sec, 194.294 mph
2) Bobby Labonte , No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet, 28.575 sec, 194.016 mph, -0.041 sec
3) Dale Earnhardt Jr. , No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet, 28.678 sec, 193.319 mph, -0.144 sec
4) Brian Vickers , No. 25 UAW/Delphi Chevrolet, 28.685 sec, 193.272 mph, -0.151 sec
5) Bill Elliott , No. 9 Dodge Dealers Dodge, 28.730 sec, 192.969 mph, -0.196 sec
6) Elliott Sadler , No. 38 M&M’s Ford, 28.854 sec, 192.140 mph, -0.320 sec
7) Todd Bodine , No. 54 National Guard Ford, 28.903 sec, 191.814 mph, -0.369 sec
8) Joe Nemechek , No. 01 U.S. Army Pontiac, 28.904 sec, 191.807 mph, -0.370 sec
9) Jimmie Johnson , No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, 28.914 sec, 191.741 mph, -0.380 sec
10) Kevin Harvick , No. 29 GM Goodwrench Service Chevrolet, 28.918 sec, 191.714 mph, -0.384 sec
11) John Andretti , No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet, 28.944 sec, 191.542 mph, -0.410 sec
12) Kevin Lepage , No. 4 Kodak Perfect Touch Pontiac, 28.977 sec, 191.324 mph, -0.443 sec
13) Michael Waltrip , No. 15 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 29.005 sec, 191.139 mph, -0.471 sec
14) Casey Mears *, No. 41 Target Dodge, 29.023 sec, 191.021 mph, -0.489 sec
15) Jeremy Mayfield , No. 19 Dodge Dealers Dodge, 29.031 sec, 190.968 mph, -0.497 sec
16) Robby Gordon , No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet, 29.039 sec, 190.916 mph, -0.505 sec
17) Kurt Busch , No. 97 Rubbermaid Ford, 29.044 sec, 190.883 mph, -0.510 sec
18) Jamie McMurray *, No. 42 Havoline Dodge, 29.057 sec, 190.797 mph, -0.523 sec
19) Jeff Gordon , No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, 29.109 sec, 190.457 mph, -0.575 sec
20) Steve Park , No. 30 America Online Chevrolet, 29.130 sec, 190.319 mph, -0.596 sec
21) Rusty Wallace , No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, 29.186 sec, 189.954 mph, -0.652 sec
22) Jimmy Spencer , No. 7 Sirius Satellite Radio Dodge, 29.200 sec, 189.863 mph, -0.666 sec
23) Derrike Cope , No. 37 PHM/Friendly Ice Cream Chevrolet, 29.201 sec, 189.857 mph, -0.667 sec
24) Tony Stewart , No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet, 29.225 sec, 189.701 mph, -0.691 sec
25) Kyle Petty , No. 45 Georgia Pacific Dodge, 29.249 sec, 189.545 mph, -0.715 sec
26) Ricky Craven , No. 32 Tide Pontiac, 29.261 sec, 189.467 mph, -0.727 sec
27) Greg Biffle *, No. 16 Grainger Ford, 29.272 sec, 189.396 mph, -0.738 sec
28) Kenny Wallace , No. 23 Stacker 2 Dodge, 29.276 sec, 189.370 mph, -0.742 sec
29) Ward Burton , No. 0 NetZero HiSpeed Pontiac, 29.286 sec, 189.305 mph, -0.752 sec
30) Johnny Benson , No. 10 Valvoline Pontiac, 29.293 sec, 189.260 mph, -0.759 sec
31) Dale Jarrett , No. 88 The UPS Store Ford, 29.303 sec, 189.196 mph, -0.769 sec
32) Terry Labonte , No. 5 Kellogg’s/got milk? Chevrolet, 29.309 sec, 189.157 mph, -0.775 sec
33) Tony Raines *, No. 74 Staff America Chevrolet, 29.331 sec, 189.015 mph, -0.797 sec
34) Hermie Sadler , No. 02 Zapf Creation Chevrolet, 29.392 sec, 188.623 mph, -0.858 sec
35) Dave Blaney , No. 77 Jasper Engines & Transmissions Ford, 29.409 sec, 188.514 mph, -0.875 sec
36) Bobby Hamilton Jr. , No. 35 U.S. Marines/WaWa Ford, 29.412 sec, 188.495 mph, -0.878 sec
Provisional
37) Matt Kenseth , No. 17 Smirnoff Ice/DeWalt Ford, 29.731 sec, 186.472 mph, -1.197 sec
38) Jeff Burton , No. 99 CITGO Ford, 29.573 sec, 187.468 mph, -1.039 sec
39) Mark Martin , No. 6 Viagra Ford, 29.460 sec, 188.187 mph, -0.926 sec
40) Sterling Marlin , No. 40 Coors Light/St. Jude Hospital Dodge, 29.542 sec, 187.665 mph, -1.008 sec
41) Scott Wimmer , No. 22 Caterpillar Dodge, 29.454 sec, 188.226 mph, -0.920 sec
42) Ricky Rudd , No. 21 Motorcraft Quality Parts Ford, 29.589 sec, 187.367 mph, -1.055 sec
43) Ken Schrader , No. 49 1-800-CALLATT Dodge, 29.481 sec, 188.053 mph, -0.947 sec
Did not Qualify
Jeff Green , No. 43 Cheerios Dodge, 29.445 sec, 188.283 mph, -0.911 sec
Buckshot Jones , No. 00 Aaron’s Chevrolet, 29.557 sec, 187.570 mph, -1.023 sec
Larry Foyt *, No. 14 Harrah’s Dodge, 29.605 sec, 187.266 mph, -1.071 sec
Mike Wallace , No. 09 Miccosukee Resort Dodge, 29.922 sec, 185.282 mph, -1.388 sec
Billy Bigley , No. 79 Arnold Development Companies Dodge, 30.046 sec, 184.517 mph, -1.512 sec
Shelby Howard , No. 27 Mack Trucks/Stacker2 Chevrolet, 30.518 sec, 181.663 mph, -1.984 sec
*: Rookie of the Year Competitor
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