All News Brian Vickers Casey Mears David Stremme Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson Kevin Harvick Matt Kenseth Ryan Newman Stuart Kirby

Chicago Qualifying Notes:

July 8, 2005 at 12:00 AM

• Jimmie Johnson won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Bud Pole for the USG Sheetrock 400, lapping Chicagoland Speedway in 28.701 seconds at 188.147 mph.
• Johnson broke Jeff Gordon’s track-qualifying record of 28.886 seconds, 186.942 mph set July 9, 2004. Six drivers eclipsed Gordon’s 2004 time. This is the fifth track record set this season.
• This is Johnson’s eighth career Bud Pole in 129 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races. He became the 11th different Bud Pole winner this season.
• This is Johnson’s third top-10 start in four NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.
• There have been five different Bud Pole winners in the five races at Chicago since the inaugural NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race in 2001.
• Ryan Newman posted the second-quickest qualifying lap of 28.715 seconds, 188.055 mph – and will join Johnson on the front row for the USG Sheetrock 400. Newman posted his 15th top-10 start in 2005, his ninth on the front row. He has started on the front row in 47 of his career races. Newman has started 14th or better, including two front-row starts, in his four races at Chicago.
• This is the eighth Bud Pole for Chevrolet in 2005. Dodge has seven Bud Poles and Ford has two. Qualifying was canceled at Dover in June.
• Casey Mears (third) posted just his second top-10 start this season – both top-fives. He started second at Michigan. It is his second top-10 start in three races at Chicago.
• Matt Kenseth (fourth) scored third top-10 start this season and his first better than sixth. It is the first qualifying effort better than 16th for Kenseth in five races at Chicago.
• Brian Vickers (fifth) posted his seventh top-10 start in 2005. It is the second top-10 start for Vickers in as many races at Chicago. He started fourth in his rookie season start here in 2004.
• David Stremme (31st), driving a third Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates entry, qualified for his career-first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race.
• Stuart Kirby (32nd) posted his career best qualifying effort in for fifth NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race. His previous best start was 37th at Kansas in 2002. It is his second race this season. He started 43rd and finished 42hd at Michigan last month.
• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Chicago was 32nd by Kevin Harvick in 2002.(NASCAR Statistical Services)(7-8-2005)