NASCAR began a new era of qualifying yesterday with new rules and the youngest pole winner in the history of stock-car racing's top series.
Rookie Kyle Busch, 19, claimed his first career pole in only his eighth Nextel Cup Series start, just beating out 21-year-old Hendrick Motorsports teammate Brian Vickers, who grabbed the outside spot on the front row for today's Auto Club 500 at California Speedway in Fontana.
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• Michael Waltrip edges teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the early qualifying race and Tony Stewart wins the nightcap.
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• Audio: Gibbs talks about his future in auto racing and pro football. (Jan. 26)
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_____ Multimedia _____
• Audio: washingtonpost.com's Mike Snyder reports after Jeff Gordon's tight victory Sunday.
• Photos
• Joe Gibbs talks about the parallels between football and NASCAR and the challenges and rewards of both.
• Audio: Gibbs talks about his future in auto racing and pro football. (Jan. 26)
_____ On Our Site _____
• Interactive guide to NASCAR's 36-race Nextel Cup series, including photos, schedules, profiles, statistics and more.
_____ Basics _____
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Results
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Busch won the pole in style with a lap of 188.245 mph, breaking the track record of 187.432 set in April 2002 by Ryan Newman. Vickers, who works out of the same race shop as Busch, also was faster than the old mark at 187.740.
Referring to team owner Rick Hendrick, Busch said: "It's definitely a great opportunity Mr. H. has given us. I'm glad we could do this for him.
"It's definitely an awesome opportunity for the both of us to sit on the front row like that," added Busch, younger brother of reigning Cup champion Kurt Busch. "It's just a great opportunity for us to help both our teams excel. We've got a pole now . . . all we need is a win."
Donald Thomas was 20 when he won a pole in NASCAR's top series in November 1952 at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta. Vickers also won his first pole last year at the age of 20.
Kyle Busch, the runner-up last year in the Busch Series, got his chance to move up to the top series when two-time champion Terry Labonte decided to run only a limited schedule this year. Busch moved into Labonte's No. 5 Chevrolet.
"People always talk about our ages but I saw a picture in a magazine showing Terry's first race when he was 21," Vickers said. "That just shows it's a big deal, but it's not.
"There's always something to be said for youthful guts but, then again, there's a lot to be said for experience. We'll see what happens Sunday, which is the true test."
New rules this year guarantee starting spots for the top 35 in car owner points, removing some of the emphasis on qualifying.
Former California winner Jeremy Mayfield, Joe Nemechek, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson, Newman and Mike Bliss filled out the top 10.
• BUSCH SERIES: Mark Martin added to his record Busch Series win total, pulling away from Kevin Harvick in the Stater Bros. 300 for No. 47.
