The Budweiser Shootout no longer is for previous season pole winners, but by owners pts and manufacturers
See the new Bud Shootout page at 2009 Budweiser Shootout page.

NOTE: if qualifying is rained out or cancelled for any reason and set by points, the driver who starts first
(because they are leading the points) is not awarded the Coors Light Pole Award and does not get the cash award

These are the fastest speeds recently (last race at that track - barring rain out of qualifying) at the other tour tracks
[track record/date in bracket]:

1)  Charlotte/Lowes, 192.376 [193.216 Oct 2005]
2)  Texas, 191.117mph [Track Record 196.235 Nov 2006]
3)  Talladega, 188.171 [212.809 April 1987 before restrictor plates]
4)  Michigan, 187.242 [194.232 June 2005]
5)  Las Vegas, 185.995 [185.995 March 2009 (old layout 174.904 March 2004)]
6)  Daytona, 185.916 [210.364 Feb 1987 before restrictor plates]
7)  Atlanta, 184.149 [197.478mph Nov 1997]
8)  Chicago, 184.162 [188.147 July 2005]
9)  California/ACS, 183.870 [188.245 Feb 2005]
10) Indianapolis, 182.054 [186.293 Aug 2004]
11) Darlington, 179.514 [179.514 May 2009]
12) Kansas, 175.758 [180.856 Oct 2005]
13) Homestead, 173.919 [181.111 Sept 2003] - old layout 156.440 Nov 2000
14) Pocono, 168.215 [172.533 June 2004]
15) Dover, 157.356 [161.522 June 2004]
16) Phoenix, 135.120 [135.854 Nov 2004]
17) New Hampshire, 133.431 [133.431 Sept 2009]
18) Richmond, 126.808 [129.983 May 2004]
19) Bristol, 124.484 [128.709 Mar 2003]
20) Watkins Glen, 123.663 [124.580 Aug 2003]
21) Martinsville, 96.795 [98.083 Oct 2005]
22) Infineon Raceway, 93.678 [94.325 June 2005]

1. ) #5-Martin, 7
2. ) #83-Vickers, 6
3. ) #48-Johnson, 4
4. ) #1-Truex Jr., 3
5. ) #00-Reutimann, 2
6. ) #42-Montoya, 2
7. ) #39-Newman, 2
8. ) #24-Gordon, 1
9. ) #18-Busch, 1
10. ) #17-Kenseth, 1
11. ) #11-Hamlin, 1

Chevy - 19 (6 different drivers)
Dodge - 0 (0 different drivers)
Ford - 1 (1 different drivers)
Toyota - 10 (4 different drivers)

Total Races: 36......30 Coors Light Poles won, 6 cancelled due to poor weather
6) weather conditions cancelled qualifying at: Martinsville, March 2009, the field was set by 2009 owners points/rules book
5) weather conditions cancelled qualifying at: Pocono, June 2009, the field was set by 2009 owners points/rules book
4) weather conditions cancelled qualifying at: New Hamsphire, June 2009, the field was set by 2009 owners points/rules book
3) weather conditions cancelled qualifying at: Daytona, July 2009, the field was set by 2009 owners points/rules book
2) weather conditions cancelled qualifying at: Pocono, August 2009, the field was set by 2009 owners points/rules book
1) weather conditions cancelled qualifying at: Talladega, October 2009, the field was set by 2009 owners points/rules book
(the record was eight rain outs in 2008)

Won a pole in 2009 and extended or started their streaks with last pole listed:
17, Jeff Gordon, Texas, November 2009 [3rd best pole streak ever]
9, Ryan Newman, Martinsville, October 2009
8, Jimmie Johnson, Homestead, November 2009
5, Denny Hamlin, Auto Club Speedway, October 2009
2, David Reutimann, Dover, May 2009
2, Brian Vickers, MIchigan, August 2009
2, Kyle Busch, Las Vegas, February 2009
1, Martin Truex Jr., Phoenix, November 2009
1, Mark Martin, Kansas, October 2009
1, Juan Pablo Montoya, New Hampshire, September 2009
1, Matt Kenseth, Darlington, May 2009

Drivers who won a pole in 2008 but failed to win one in 2009 and lost their streak:
6, Kasey Kahne, Sonoma, June 2008
2, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Texas, April 2008
2, Greg Biffle, Dover, May 2008
2, Carl Edwards, Bristol, August 2008
1, Joe Nemechek, Talladega, April 2008
1, Patrick Carpentier, New Hampshire, June 2008
1, Paul Menard, Daytona, July 2008
1, Travis Kvapil, Talladega, October 2008

All Time Pole Season Streaks:
years, driver, from-to
19, David Pearson, 1962-1981
18, Richard Petty, 1960-1977
17, Jeff Gordon, 1993-2009 (current)
13, Darrell Waltrip, 1974-1986
12, Cale Yarborough, 1973-1984
12, Bill Elliott, 1984-1995
12, Mark Martin, 1988-1999
11, Bobby Allison, 1966-1976
10, Geoffrey Bodine, 1982-1991

Most Poles in one season [modern era 1972-present]:
Cale Yarborough, 1980, 14
Bill Elliott, 1985, 11
Darrell Waltrip, 1981, 11
Ryan Newman, 2003, 11

All Time Record for the most Poles in one season:
Bobby Issac, 1969, 20
Richard Petty, 1967, 19
Tim Flock, 1955, 18
Richard Petty, 1966, 16
Cale Yarborough, 1980, 14
David Pearson, 1969, 14
Bobby Issac, 1970, 13

Oldest Pole sitter?
Harry Gant, 54 years, 7 months, 15 days, Bristol, 8/26/1994, finished 9th

Fastest to 20 Poles: with his 20th pole in 84 races, #12-Ryan Newman is the 2nd fastest driver to get to 20 poles, the list of the top 15:
Fonty Flock 68 races
Ryan Newman 84
Fred Lorenzen 87
Dick Hutcherson 91
Herb Thomas 104
Tim Flock 120
Rex White 135
Fireball Roberts 138
Buck Baker 157
Bobby Isaac 162
Jeff Gordon 171
David Pearson 180
Alan Kulwicki 180
Geoffrey Bodine 181
Bill Elliott 191
(NASCAR Statistics)(3-13-2004)

Carpentier only 2nd foreign born driver to win a pole in the Sprint Cup Series history when #10-Patrick Carpentier won the pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The other driver was Lloyd Shaw, from Toronto, Canada. Shaw won the pole at Langhorne, PA in June 1953 and finished 23rd in his only Cup start.(6-29-2008)

Newman heading to a dubious record: #12-Ryan Newman won the pole for this past Friday for the Atlanta race. Doesn't seem to translate into wins for Newman who is now on the brink of setting a modern-era record that he probably does not want. Newman has gone winless in the last 26 races that he has started from the pole. This places him in a tie for second with Ricky Rudd (who snapped his 26 race losing streak when he won from the pole at Pocono in 2001). Newman is one race shy of moving into a tie with the current record holder. Geoffrey Bodine started his losing streak at Daytona in 1982 and lost 27 consecutive races when starting from the pole. It was almost 8 years later before Bodine would be able to finally score a win from the pole (Martinsville 1990). Bodine went 0 for 27 to begin his career. He would go on to win from the pole three times in his career. Ricky Rudd went 0 for 26 to begin his career. So far, he has only one win from the pole position. Ryan Newman only went 0 for 3 before scoring his first win from the pole. He was hot for awhile, winning 3 times in his first 12 poles, then his current streak took over.(LTPicks.com)(3-20-2007)

What's the Record? #12-Ryan Newman won his 6th straight pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday...so what is the record? David Pearson won 11 straight poles, all while driving for the [#21] Wood Brothers from 1973 through 1978, at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.(10-28-2005)

First since 1964: #41-Casey Mears became the first driver since Billy Wade (Old Bridge, NJ and Bridgehampton, NY - July 1964) to post his first two career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Bud Poles in consecutive races when he won the poles for Pocono 7/31/04 and Indianapolis 8/7/04.(NASCAR Statistical Services)(8-7-2004)

Last time three poles in a row? #24-Jeff Gordon's pole at the Pepsi 400 is his third Bud Pole in as many races. The last driver to post three consecutive Bud Poles was Ryan Newman (Atlanta-Phoenix-Rockingham in 2003). Prior to that the most recent three straight Bud Poles was by Gordon (Charlotte-Dover-Pocono, May-June 1996).(NASCAR Statistical Services)(7-3-2004)

Elliott four in a row in 1985? aa few coflicting things about whether Bill Elliott has four stright poles in 1985. NASCAR Reports, TV Coverage and most colums state: This is the first time a driver has won four consecutive poles since Bill Elliott did it in July-August 1985. Elliott won five poles in a six-race stretch that year. The one race he didn't win the pole, he started on it as the points leader after qualifying was rained out. Only Cale Yarborough (1980) and Bobby Allison (1972) have won five consecutive poles [modern era].
HOWEVER...been asked, if you look at NASCAR.com July Pocono race results from 1985, it shows Bill Elliott starting 2nd and Darrell Waltrip starting 1st, and Pocono Results from racing-reference.com show the same thing, BUT if you above, it says: Pole Speed: 151.973 mph (Pole won by Bill Elliott). So....huh? So I went thru the following books I have: NASCAR Encyclopedia, Stock Car Racing Encyclopedia, 1986 UMI NASCAR Press Guide [stats from 1985], 1985 UMI NASCAR Yearbook and Greg Fielden's 40 Years of Stock Car Racing: Vol 4 with the following results:
NASCAR Encyclopedia has on page 977, the 1985 races, pole winners:
Race#, Track, Driver, Speed
1448, Pocono, Elliott, 152.563
1449, Michigan, no qualifying, Elliott was points leader started first
1450, Daytona, Elliott, 201.523
1451, Pocono, Darrell Waltrip, 151.973 [same as Elliott's above]
1452, Talladega, Elliott, 207.578
1453, Michigan, Elliott, 165.479
and if you count the number of poles for Elliott on that list is has 10, where all records show 11.
Stock Car Racing Encyclopedia has the same EXCEPT, it has Bill Elliott in race 1451-Pocono, same speed.
The 1985 UMI NASCAR Yearbook simply has DW 1st and Elliott 2nd
1986 UMI NASCAR Press Guide has Elliott starting 2nd and DW 1st BUT in the notes lists Elliott as the Bud Pole winner with a speed of 151.973.
OK So why the confusion? finally I got to Greg Fielden's 40 Years of Stock Car Racing: Vol 4, once again, it shows DW 1st and Elliott starting 2nd BUT with Elliott on the pole with a speed of 151.937mph BUT with an asterick (*), so at the bottom, there is this note: "Darrell Waltrip started on the pole after posting a 152.552 lap. 18 days later NASCAR Disallowed the pole time due to illegal fuel additives." So Elliott now gets credit for the pole. So didn't really start from the pole, but was awarded it later, he did start 5 of 6 races from the pole and officially would be 6. Whew...that was a lot of work....(7-10-2004)

Kahne Sets Mark: #9-Kasey Kahne set another mark in winning the Bud Pole for the 2004 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway. Kahne scored his second Bud pole in just five career starts and became just one of five drivers in NASCAR history to do so. No driver has won more than two. He joins the following drivers:
Martin, Mark (2) - 7/11/81 Nashville International Raceway; 9/13/81 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway
Hutcherson, Dick (2) - 3/28/64 Greenville-Pickens Speedway; 4/14/64 Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds
Burdick, Bob (2) - 5/17/59 Trenton Speedway; 6/18/59 Columbia Speedway
Kieper, John (2) - 5/27/56 Portland Speedway; 5/30/56 Eureka Speedway
Kahne, Kasey (2) - 3/5/04 Las Vegas; 3/19/04 Darlington (NASCAR Statistics)(3-20-2004)

Park's Poles Rare: something I wondered about when #30-Steve Park got the pole late in qualifying at Daytona for the Pepsi 400. When was the last time a driver won a pole in the same season for two different teams? Park won the pole at California Speedway while driving the #1 Pennzoil Chevy and won the pole for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona in the #30 AOL Chevy this year. So did a little research and the nearest I found was in 1993 when Jayski Fave Ernie Irvan won four poles that season, two with the #4 Kodak team and two with the #28 Texaco team [took over after Davey Allison was killed].(7-4-2003)

Wins from the pole in 2009: two drivers have won the pole and then won the race in 2009:
#18-Kyle Busch, Las Vegas, March 1
#5-Mark Martin, Phoenix, April 18

#14-Tony Stewart has won two races from the 1st starting spot, but qualifying was rained out
  in both races and the field was set by owners points/rules book