All News Casey Mears Dale Earnhardt Jr. David Gilliland Denny Hamlin Elliott Sadler Greg Biffle Jeff Burton Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson Kasey Kahne Kevin Harvick Kurt Busch Kyle Busch Mark Martin Matt Kenseth Mike Skinner Ryan Newman Scott Riggs Todd Bodine

Charlotte Qualifying Notes:

October 12, 2006 at 12:00 AM

• Scott Riggs won the Nextel Cup Series Bud Pole for the Bank of America 500, lapping Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 28.203 seconds at 191.469 mph. Elliott Sadler holds the track-qualifying record of 27.948 seconds, 193.216 mph – set Oct. 13, 2005.
• This is Riggs’ third career Bud Pole in 101 Nextel Cup Series races.
• This is his second Bud Pole and sixth top-10 start in 2006. He became the seventh repeat Bud Pole winner in 2006. Kurt Busch (five), Kasey Kahne (five), Jeff Burton (four), Denny Hamlin (three), Greg Biffle (two) and Ryan Newman (two) are the other multiple Bud Pole winners this season.
• This is Riggs’ first Bud Pole and third top-10 start in six Nextel Cup Series races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, including both Bud Poles this season. He also won the pole for the NEXTEL Open here in May.
• Riggs became the first drive to sweep both Bud Poles in a season at Lowe’s Motor Speedway since Ryan Newman (2003).
• Kasey Kahne posted the second-quickest qualifying lap of 28.392 seconds, 190.194 mph – and will join Riggs on the front row for the Bank of America 500 and joined Riggs in an all-Evernham Motorsports front row. Kahne has started from the top-10 in four of his six races at Charlotte.
• This is the 14th Bud Pole for Dodge in 2006. Chevrolet has 11 Bud Poles and Ford has five. Qualifying was canceled at Bristol.
• Casey Mears (third) has started from the top-10 in three of his eight races at Lowe’s.
• Elliott Sadler (fourth) has nine top-10 starts in his 17 races at Lowe’s, including eight of the past 10 races.
• Kevin Harvick (third) has started from the top-10 in three of his eight races at Lowe’s.
• Five of the 10 Chase drivers qualified in the top 10: Kahne, Harvick (fifth), Jeff Burton (sixth), Mark Martin (seventh) and Jimmie Johnson (10th). Matt Kenseth (11th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (16th), Kyle Busch (18th), Denny Hamlin (22nd) and Jeff Gordon (41st) are the other Chase drivers. This is Gordon’s career-worst starting position.
• Todd Bodine (14th) was the fastest of the drivers required to make the field on time.
• Mike Skinner (29th) qualified for his third Nextel Cup race this season – all for a different owner. He put the #72 in the race for the owner Bryan Mullet’s second Nextel Cup race. David Gilliland finished 32nd in the car at Sonoma. Skinner has also raced for Brad Jenkins in the #34 (Michigan) and for John Carter (Indianapolis) in the #37 this season.
• Kurt Busch’s time was disallowed after post-qualifying inspection. Busch will start 42nd in the Bank of America 500.(NASCAR Statisical Services)(10-12-2006)