Newman takes pole for NASCAR race on Sunday

By Reid Spencer

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

LOUDON, N.H.

If the Sprint Cup Series is in New Hampshire, it’s not difficult to guess who might be on the pole for Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301.

With a track-record run at 135.232 mph (28.165 seconds) Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ryan Newman claimed his first Coors Light pole award of the season, his fifth at New Hampshire and the 47th of his career.

Newman beat teammate and Stewart-Haas Racing car owner Tony Stewart, who covered the 1.058-mile distance in 28.200 seconds (135.064 mph), as 12 drivers broke the track record of 133.572 mph (28.515 seconds) set last year by Brad Keselowski.

David Reutimann (134.763 mph), fresh from a second-place run at Kentucky, will start third, followed by Kurt Busch (134.340 mph) and Busch’s Penske Racing teammate, Brad Keselowski (134.150 mph). Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Paul Menard and Kasey Kahne will start from positions six through 10, respectively.

Sunday’s race will be the first time two Stewart-Haas cars will start together on the front row.

“Reutimann clipped off a lap that I didn’t think could be beat,” Newman said. “But I’m just proud of the U.S. Army team and everybody at Stewart-Haas to get our first front row together, first of all, but for us to be the winning car and have a good start for the entire weekend.

“The car felt good in practice. The lap itself was nice and smooth. I wouldn’t say it was perfect, but it was good enough.”