NASCAR's Newman Stays Strong at Atlanta

By Paul Newberry, The Associated Press

HAMPTON, Ga. — Ryan Newman extended his record for consecutive poles at Atlanta Motor Speedway, winning his fifth in a row with a dominating run Friday night.

Newman, who's won every pole at Atlanta since the 2003 spring race, turned a lap at 194.690 mph on the 1.54-mile trioval.

Newman couldn't help but notice the here-we-go-again reaction when he got to the infield media center.

"I used to come in here as a rookie and everyone would be like, 'What's a rookie doing winning the pole,'" Newman quipped. "Now it's like it's no big deal."

Bobby Hamilton Jr. turned in the best qualifying run of his career, putting up the second-fastest speed (193.785) to earn a front-row spot alongside Newman for Sunday's Golden Corral 500.

"It's a good place to start," Hamilton said. "We'll start from there and chip away at it on Sunday."

Newman already had eclipsed the record for most consecutive poles at Atlanta, beating Buddy Baker's record of three in a row in 1979-80.

Newman has 29 poles in his career, claiming the top spot at all but nine of the 22 Nextel Cup venues. He hasn't had as much success on race day, winning 11 times. His best finish this season is ninth.

"We're knocking on the door," Newman said. More>>>

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posted by ADMIN @ Saturday, March 19, 2005