Carl Edwards won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Bud Pole for the SONY HD 500, lapping California Speedway in 38.906 seconds at 185.061 mph. Kyle Busch holds the track-qualifying record of 38.248 seconds at 188.245 mph, set Feb. 26, 2005.
This is Edwardss career-first career Bud Pole in 38 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races. He joins Kyle Busch and Scott Riggs as the first-time Bud Pole winners this season.
This is Edwardss first top-10 start in three races at California Speedway. He started 19th in each of his other races here.
Edwards became the 16th different Bud Pole winner this season. He became the 10th different Bud Pole winner in the 11 races at California qualifying was rained out in 1999.
Mark Martin posted the second-quickest qualifying lap of 38.854 seconds, 184.833 mph and will join Edwards on the front row for the SONY HD 500. It is the fifth top-10 start for Martin this season and his fifth in 11 races at California. His most recent top-10 start here was in 2001.
This is the fifth Bud Pole for Ford in 2005. Chevrolet has 10 Bud Poles and Dodge has eight. Qualifying was canceled at Dover in June and Watkins Glen.
Two drivers failed to qualify for the SONY HD 500: P.J. Jones and John Andretti (who did not take a qualifying lap).
Kurt Busch (third) posted his third top-10 start in seven California races. It is his 12th top-10 start this season.
Greg Biffle (fourth) posted his third top-10 start in six races at California all in the past three races. It is his 16th top-10 start this season. Biffle was the fourth of the five Roush Racing entries to qualify in the top-10.
Jimmie Johnson (fifth) posted his third top-10 start in his seventh race at California. Johnson career-first victory came when he won the NAPA Auto Parts 500 at California in April 2002.
This is the first time in the modern era that a car owner has scored a 1-2-3-4 sweep of qualifying. The previous best qualifying sweep for a car owner was when Hendrick Motorsports swept the first three starting positions at Michigan in June 2004.
J. J. Yeley (eighth) posted the best qualifying effort of his three-race NASCAR NEXTEL Cup career. Yeley started 32 and finished 41st in this race in 2004. He then started 36th and finished 27th at Atlanta in October 2004.
Ryan Newman (28th) posted his season-worst qualifying effort and failed to post a top-10 start for just the third time this season.
Jon Wood (39th) qualified for his first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race. However, Ricky Rudd is expected to return to the Motorcraft Ford in his place in the SONY HD 500.
Mike Garvey (36th) qualified for his eighth NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race, making the field for the first time since Pocono in July.(NASCAR Statistical Services)(9-3-2005)
