Subway Fresh Fit 500 Qualifying Update

Phoenix International Raceway -- 04/12/08

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Saturday Apr 12 2008 1:49am

If you hear this word once at Phoenix this weekend, you will hear it 100 times: HOT.

The ambient temperature is expected to be near 90 degrees Saturday afternoon, putting the track temperature at around 140+ degrees.

With the race starting at 5:30 p.m. and sunset not coming until 7:00 p.m., teams will be contending not only with the heat early on, but with changing track conditions as the sun goes down and the lights come up at PIR.

One driver who might be described as hot this weekend is Penske Racing's Ryan Newman (+1385). Ryan put his Alltel Dodge on the pole in Thursday's qualifying session with a lap time of 26.98 and lap speed of 133.46 miles per hour.

Newman was also fastest in Thursday's practice with a 27.19, second in Friday's early practice, and sixth in Happy Hour on Friday.

Newman’s pole was the 43rd of his career in 232 Cup starts, and moves him into a tie for 10th on the all-time pole winner's list.

It will be an all-Dodge front row leading the field to green Saturday evening, as Elliott Sadler (+3450) scored the outside pole with a qualifying lap just 0.01 seconds off Newman's pace.

Also starting in the top 5 are Carl Edwards (+615) in a Ford, third, and Mark Martin (+1250) in a Chevy, fourth. Sadler's GEM Racing teammate Kasey Kahne (+2550) will start high on the starting grid, qualifying fifth.

Kyle Busch (+655), winner of Friday's Nationwide race, had the fastest Toyota, qualifying sixth.

Rounding out the top 10 on Saturday's starting grid are Jimmie Johnson (+405), Jamie McMurray (+4450), Martin Truex Jr. (+1185), and Scott Riggs.

Kyle Petty and John Andretti failed to qualify for Saturday's race, while Dario Franchitti was the highest rookie at 21st. J.J. Yeley will go to the back after changing out the engine.

Jeff Gordon (+785), who won this race last year from the pole but is coming off a last-place finish in Texas on Sunday qualified 11th. Gordon ran 30th in both Friday practices.

Two-time Phoenix winners Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+1325) and Kevin Harvick (+1245) roll off 13th and 17th, respectively.

Tony Stewart (+985), who led the most laps here last spring but finished second, qualified 12th and ran 10th, 36th, and 19th in the three practice sessions.

Carl Edwards, who won at Texas last week and has three wins in seven races this season, was 5th and 11th in Friday's practices. Edwards finished second in the Nationwide race Friday night.

Matt Kenseth (+1525), making his 300th career Cup start on Saturday, qualified 27th and was 27th in Happy Hour as well.

Drivers who ran in the top 10 in both Friday practices include Johnson, winner at PIR last fall, along with Newman, David Ragan, Kahne, Greg Biffle (+1385), and Truex, Jr.

Mark Martin was fastest in Happy Hour with a 27.84.