|
By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive
March 21, 2003
7:24 PM EST (0024 GMT)
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Jeff Gordon was engaged in conversation with a large group of reporters Friday afternoon following Bud Pole Qualifying, when Ryan Newman waltzed into the room.
Suddenly, Gordon stopped mid-sentence, faced Newman and commenced an up-and-down bowing motion that silently acknowledging his unworthiness. Suffice it to say, when someone as accomplished as Gordon goes out of his way to recognize a competitor's effort, a noteworthy feat has been achieved.
Say, something like the first sub-15 second lap in Bristol Motor Speedway history?
Newman's record-breaking 14.91-second lap Friday during Bud Pole Qualifying wowed everyone in attendance, including the former track record-holder himself.
"My God, that's an unbelievable lap that Ryan put out there," said Gordon, shaking his head in amazement.
Gordon, winner of the past two BMS poles and an eight-time front row starter here, said his car Friday was as good as any he's ever driven at the half-mile bullring.
That only added to his awe.
 | FOOD CITY 500 |  | Ryan Newman takes his second Bud Pole of 2003.
Play video |
| | | |
 | ALSO | | | | | | | |
|
|
"That's the fastest I'd gone all day, and I'll be honest, when I ran the lap and they told me my time, I thought way it felt if felt like a 14.99 or 15-flat," he said. "They said, '15.0,' and I was like, 'Good lap, but I think that somebody is going to beat it.' I didn't expect someone to beat it by two-tenths."
Third-place qualifier Ken Schrader, who posted the best qualifying run ever for BAM Motorsports on Friday, was equally impressed.
"He's braver'n Dick Tracy," Schrader said.
This isn't the first time Newman has rendered onlookers speechless. But it is the first time he was at a loss for words.
"That's the most amazed I've ever been after a qualifying run," Newman said. "I knew we had a fast car, but I didn't think we were capable of going that fast."
No one did, it seems.
|
