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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Junior Rules Rapid Qualifying Session
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was fastest to qualify for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500...
Mike Hembree  |  Posted March 05, 2010   Hampton, GA
Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, signs the wall in Victory Lane after qualifying for the first position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)
Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, poses in Victory Lane after qualifying for the first position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was top dog in a rapid qualifying session at Atlanta Motor Speedway Friday, winning the pole for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race with a surprisingly fast speed of 192.761 miles per hour.

It was Earnhardt Jr.’s first pole in almost two years. His last came in April 2008 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Earnhardt Jr.’s speed was the fastest qualifying lap recorded in the history of NASCAR’s new-model Sprint Cup car.

PDF > STARTING LINEUP: Kobalt Tools 500 - ATLANTA
LINK > QUALIFYING RESULTS: Kobalt Tools 500 - ATLANTA
LINK > PRACTICE 1 RESULTS: Kobalt Tools 500 - ATLANTA

Following Earnhardt Jr. in the top five Friday were Kyle Busch (192.280), Juan Pablo Montoya (192.106), Mark Martin (191.814) and Jeff Gordon (191.774).

Jimmie Johnson, the last of the top-35 drivers to make a qualifying attempt, was 16th at 190.640. Johnson has won the past two Sprint Cup races.

Earnhardt Jr. called his pole run “definitely a step in the right direction. I hope we’ll see these kinds of improvements on Sunday in our race team. And I think we will. If we keep performing like this, it should start leaking over into our car on Sunday.”

Earnhardt Jr. has finishes of second, 32nd and 16th through the first three races of the season. He is 15th in the point standings.

Drivers crossed the 190-mph barrier with ease during a cool afternoon/evening time-trial session in which conditions were virtually perfect for fast speeds. Half the field qualified at 190-plus.

The high speeds are fun, Busch said, but the track demands attention.

“The only thing I’ve ever really been able to give a close description of to compare it to is this: Pick your favorite (interstate) off ramp that’s a round one and drive it as hard as you can and see if it sticks,” he said. “Now this is like doing that off ramp while it’s raining.

“But it’s a fun racetrack. The sensation doesn’t really hit you because the corners are wide. You’ve got a lot of room off 2 and 4.”

Failed to qualify: Terry Cook, Aric Almirola and Casey Mears.

PDF > STARTING LINEUP: Kobalt Tools 500 - ATLANTA
LINK > QUALIFYING RESULTS: Kobalt Tools 500 - ATLANTA
LINK > PRACTICE 1 RESULTS: Kobalt Tools 500 - ATLANTA

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

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