Newman wins pole for Coca-Cola 600

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ryan Newman turned a lap at 188.475 mph Thursday night to grab the top starting spot for the Coca-Cola 600.

It was Newman’s eighth career pole at Lowe’s Motor Speedway — the most of any active driver — and the Stewart-Haas Racing driver’s 44th overall.

Kyle Busch will start second Sunday in NASCAR’s longest race after a lap of 188.258. Points leader Jeff Gordon qualified third, followed by Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson.

Gordon’s back pain

After hours of agony behind the wheel at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, Jeff Gordon wondered how much longer he could fight the pain.

“If my back was the way it was at Bristol this year, it’s definitely going to shorten my career,” Gordon said. “I can’t race like that.”

The Sprint Cup points leader began a series of tests, which revealed minor arthritis and other issues. That led to a procedure on Monday that called for an injection of lidocaine or anti-inflammatory medication.

“I feel pretty good. They said it’s going to take six or seven days for it to have its full impact,” Gordon said.

Mayfield meets with NASCAR

The attorney for Jeremy Mayfield hinted Thursday he’ll take legal action to have Mayfield’s NASCAR suspension lifted.

Mayfield and attorney Bill Diehl met for more than an hour with NASCAR officials. Although Diehl said the meeting was cordial, it did not get them any closer to resolving the issue. Mayfield was suspended May 9 for failing a random drug test.

“Jeremy doesn’t believe that he’s done anything that supports his suspension for the use of drugs,” Diehl said.

Long appeals penalty

NASCAR driver Carl Long has appealed his record suspension, allowing him to return to work.

Long arrived at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Thursday to file his appeal, met with Sprint Cup Series director John Darby and then went back to work as a crew member on the No. 34 Chevrolet.

NASCAR deferred Long’s 12-race suspension until his June 2 appellate hearing, a move that will let him maintain his full-time job with the No. 34 team.

Long’s future, though, remains in doubt.

On Wednesday, NASCAR suspended Long for the next 12 Sprint Cup races, docked him 200 points and fined crew chief Charles Swing $200,000. All were records punishments in the sport.