Ryan Newman won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Bud Pole for the Batman Begins 400, lapping Michigan International Speedway in 37.069 seconds at 194.232 mph. He broke Dale Earnhardt Jrs, track-qualifying record of 37.667 seconds, 191.149 mph, set Aug. 18, 2000.
This is Newmans 32nd career Bud Pole in 131 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races and came in his eight NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Michigan. It is his first Bud Pole at Michigan.
Newman leads all drivers with five Bud Poles this season. He moved into a tie with Fonty Flock for 21st on the all-time Bud Pole list. Newman now holds the track record for Bristol, Charlotte, Martinsville, Michigan, New Hampshire and Phoenix.
Michigan is now the second-fastest non-restrictor plate track in NASCAR, based on qualifying records. Atlanta is the fastest non-restrictor-plate track with a lap of 197.478 mph.
The top-26 qualifiers bettered Earnhardt Jrs 2000 time.
Casey Mears posted the second-quickest qualifying lap of 37.160 seconds, 193.757 mph and will join Newman on the front row for the Batman Begins 400. This is his first qualifying effort better than 15th this season. Mears has started from a top-10 starting position in two of his five races at Michigan.
This is the seventh Bud Pole for Dodge in 2005. Chevrolet has five Bud Poles and Ford has two.
Tony Stewart (third) posted his fifth top-10 start in 13 races at Michigan. It is his ninth top-10 start this season, including four of the past five races.
Kasey Kahne (fourth) scored his first top-10 start in three races at Michigan and his eighth of 2005.
Jeremy Mayfield (fifth) posted his 10th top-10 start in his 23rd Michigan race. Mayfield now has eight top-10 starts in 2005.
Robby Gordon (eighth) posted his fourth top-10 start in 11 races at Michigan and his first top-10 start in 2005. This is his best start and his only top-10 since he started fifth here last June.
Stuart Kirby (43rd) qualified for his fourth career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race and his first since Kansas in September 2002.
Four drivers failed to qualify for the Batman Begins 400: Eric McClure, Derrike Cope, P.J. Jones and Morgan Shepherd.
There were six sets of ties in the qualifying results: Jeff Gordon and Bill Elliott; Rusty Wallace and Kurt Busch; Jeff Green and Mike Bliss; Matt Kenseth and Scott Wimmer; Greg Biffle and Jason Leffler; Dave Blaney and Travis Kvapil.
There have been six different Bud Pole winners in the past nine NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Michigan. Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte (two each) are the repeat Bud Pole winners in the eight-race period. Qualifying was canceled in August 2004.
Forty-two of 71 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Michigan have been won from the first four starting positions (59 percent).
Only 12 races at Michigan have been won from outside a top-10 starting position – all have occurred in the past 27 races there.(NASCAR Statistical Services)(6-18-2005)
