Earnhardt Jr. sets table with Texas Bud Pole

By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
March 30, 2001
6:49 PM EST (2349 GMT)

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has struggled with his emotions and his race car this season, won the Bud Pole Award Friday for Sunday's Harrah's 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the pole at the track where he won his first Cup race.

Earnhardt Jr., who was rocked at the season opening Daytona 500 by the death of his father in a last lap accident, turned a fast lap of 28.320 seconds, 190.678 mph, on the 1.5-mile speedway in his No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet.

The 25-year-old driver, who won his first career Winston Cup race here a year ago, has finished no better than 15th since his runner-up performance at Daytona. Most of the cars at the front of the grid found the secret to improving their speed on their second lap, including the three fastest drivers.

The first four drivers were over 190 mph. Defending Winston Cup champion Bobby Labonte will start on the outside of the front row in the 43-car field after a lap in 28.352 seconds, 190.463 mph in his Interstate Batteries Pontiac. The second row will be comprised of Winston Cup point leader Dale Jarrett's UPS Ford (28.356/190.436) and Bobby Hamilton's Square D Chevrolet (28.390/190.208).

Steve Park rounded out the top-5 in his Pennzoil Chevrolet (28.449/189.813) Qualifying sixth through 10th were Ricky Rudd, Michael Waltrip, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Casey Atwood.

Kyle Petty and Rick Mast were the only two drivers not to qualify.