Newman Wins Top Spot For Sunday's 600

Can qualifying 'courage' translate in 600?

By Jim Utter - jutter@charlotteobserver.com

Thursday, May. 27, 2010




5/27/10 Ryan Newman is congratulated by Martin Truex Jr. who was on the pole for a while before Newman knocked him off. Newman won the Windstream pole for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. DAVIE HINSHAW - dhinshaw@charlotteobserver.com

CONCORD, N.C. – Here’s a scary thought:

In one day, Ryan Newman learned how to go around Charlotte Motor Speedway even faster.

Newman, who already owned a career-best eight poles at the 1.5-mile speedway, added a ninth Thursday night, using a lap at 187.546 mph to earn the top starting position for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600.

The pole is the 46th of Newman’s career and he is tied for 10th all-time with Junior Johnson, who last weekend was one of five to make up the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s inaugural class.

“I ran the high line (around the track), which I’ve never done in qualifying here before,” Newman said.

“So that tells you how much things have changed between the tires and the race track and the cars to be able to do something different than I’ve always done to create that ultimate fast lap.”

But when did one of NASCAR’s best qualifiers learn this trade secret?

Apparently Newman discovered it during Thursday practice session while following Juan Pablo Montoya around the track.
“He was showing us how to do it,” Newman said of Montoya, who qualified 20th.

“We were running his line and he was the quickest car.”
Not even Newman’s crew chief, Tony Gibson, could sway the driver. Gibson told Newman right before his qualifying lap that the five quickest cars at that time had all run the bottom of the track.

“I was thinking to myself, ‘If you’re trying to convince me to run the bottom, I don’t appreciate it.’ I had already made up my mind.”

Kurt Busch, who won last weekend’s all-star race, went out late in the qualifying order and came closest to knocking Newman from the top spot (187.292 mph).

Martin Truex Jr., who finished second in the all-star race, qualified third. Kasey Kahne was fourth and Jimmie Johnson fifth.

Series points leader Kevin Harvick will line up 23rd.

While Newman owns no Cup victories at Charlotte, it has always rated among his favorite tracks, if only for the speed.

In fact, in describing his pole-winning lap immediately after he went out, Newman called it “courageous.”

“I’ve never run into a corner at 200 mph up against the wall and made it stick and still come out the other end,” he said.

“So, to have the courage to put yourself in that position and do that is tough enough, let alone doing it and pulling it off and winning that pole.

"I’ve never been a guy to run the wall, let alone in qualifying.”
An even bigger challenge now awaits Newman: Chasing his first victory at Charlotte.

In fact, only three of his 14 Cup wins have come at 1.5-mile tracks like CMS.

“I have always (said) it has been easier for me to go out and run one lap and do it fast than it is to go out there and run 600 miles fast,” he said.

“I can do that. It’s just a matter of putting yourself in that track position, putting yourself in that right position, the right tires on the car, having a good pit crew, things like that.

“I feel like I am more prepared than I ever have been as far as our team.”