RYANS REVENGE
Newman streaks to pole at Lowe's
By Reid Spencer,Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service, October 12
CONCORD, N.C. -- Ryan Newman ran a blistering lap
late in Thursday's qualifying session to claim the pole position for
Saturday night's Bank of America 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Lowe's
Motor Speedway.
Newman toured the 1.5-mile track in 28.512 seconds (189.394 mph) to
knock Jimmie Johnson (188.990 mph) off the pole for the fifth race in
the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. Bobby Labonte (188.363 mph) will
start third in Saturday's race, followed by points leader Jeff Gordon
(188.298 mph) and defending race winner Kasey Kahne (188.088 mph).
Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Coca-Cola 600 winner Casey
Mears and Greg Biffle claimed the sixth through 10th starting positions.
Newman was the 45th of 49 drivers to attempt qualifying. The driver of
the No. 12 Penske Dodge went out three positions after Johnson, who put
up the number the pole winner had to beat.
"Qualifying was just a matter of beating the 48 car (Johnson)," said
Newman, who earned his 42nd Cup pole, his fifth of the season and his
seventh in 14 races at LMS. "He had a good draw. We had a better draw.
We had the advantage of knowing what he ran."
The pole was especially gratifying for Newman, given the concentration
of race teams -- including Penske -- headquartered in the greater
Charlotte area.
"It's about getting it done in your backyard," he said. "It's about
beating everybody on your home turf."
Johnson was disappointed at losing the pole but not for lack of effort
or execution.
NASCAR racing may be infectious -- but not contagious By Reid Spencer,Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service,October 12
CONCORD, N.C. -- Does a visit to a NASCAR race pose
more of a health risk than attendance at any other kind of sporting
event? Apparently the House Homeland Security Committee thinks so.
Lisa Zagaroli of McClatchy Newspapers reported Thursday that
congressional aides were advised to get immunized for hepatitis A,
hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria and influenza before embarking on a
"fact-finding trip about health preparedness at mass gatherings" to
races at Talladega Superspeedway and Lowe's Motor Speedway.
"The very idea of immunization is laughable," responded LMS president
and general manager H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler. "It's like taping your ankles
to go to the mailbox. This is not some third- or fourth-world country.
"As a matter of fact, never in the 50-plus years of NASCAR has there
been an outbreak of any kind at an event, other than a few headaches
because somebody's favorite driver ran out of gas -- or maybe a morning
hangover."
The report left Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup leader Jeff Gordon
shaking his head.
"I don't know where to begin with that one," Gordon said. "I probably
shake as many hands as the president does throughout the year, and I've
never considered that one (immunization) as an option."
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