Hendrick teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon will both start within the top six Sunday at Talladega. Credit: CIA Stock Photo

Sunday's 'Dega battle could shake up points

Good qualifying lap doesn't assure Sunday success -- or does it?

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Restrictor-plate racing is the great equalizer in Nextel Cup racing and if Friday's qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway is any indication, Sunday's Aaron's 499 could tighten the points standings.

	Ryan Newman starts fifth Sunday at Talladega. Credit: Autostock
	Aaron's 499 Starting Lineup Driver Make Speed 1. K. Harvick Chevy 189.804 2. J. Gordon Chevy 188.988 3. E. Sadler Ford 188.548 4. S. Riggs Chevy 188.474 5. R. Newman Dodge 188.237 Complete race lineup

Jimmie Johnson, who qualified sixth, enters the ninth race of the season with a 173-point lead over Kurt Busch, who will start 10th. However, only five of the top 10 drivers in points will start in the top 10.

Getting out front at superspeedways -- Daytona and Talladega -- is key to success. But on average, the past 10 restrictor-plate races have been won from the No. 11 starting position, so being too far up front isn't necessarily a good thing, either.

Kevin Harvick, who ran only four laps in Friday's practice, won the pole with a fast lap of 189.804 mph. It is his second career pole on a restrictor-plate track; he started first in the 2002 Pepsi 400 at Daytona. But the pole-sitter hasn't won at Talladega since Bobby Labonte in the spring race of 1998.

Ryan Newman is currently seventh in points and will start fifth, the highest-qualifying Dodge.

"After Daytona, I thought we had a car that was competitive, capable of a top-10 for sure and maybe a top-five," he said of his 20th-place showing in the season opener. "We proved that in the 150 and the Shootout. This is probably the most excited I've ever been about a restrictor-plate race, other than being a rookie and not knowing.

"I think we've got a good shot at running up front Sunday. When you've got a fast car, guys line up behind you."

In 71 races at 'Dega, the winner has most often come from the outside pole -- 16 times. Jeff Gordon, who has won three of the past four restrictor-plate races, starts second Sunday. He's also the last driver to win here from the outside pole (Fall 1996). And as if Gordon needed more good karma, consider that Chevrolet has won the past 12 races at Talladega and 17 of 21 plate races since 2000.

Harvick heats upKevin Harvick gets the Bud Pole for Aaron's 499 at Talladega Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

"This is a little bit of an older car and we were a little bit nervous about what we had and you know our car is sitting in Daytona USA and we weren't going to be able to bring that out," Gordon said. "I'm real proud of the guys back at the shop, they massaged on this car, it's the car we won with last year. I felt like they stepped it up a notch, and the whole program, really.

"Right now our restrictor-plate program is one of the best things we've got going for us. It doesn't guarantee anything. It's not a handling racetrack. It's a lot tougher to get to the front and stay there at this place. But I'm real happy."

What remains to be seen is who among the top 10 in points will be happy Sunday afternoon.

Notes: Harvick posted his third career Bud Pole and his first since Indianapolis 2003, 60 races ago. It is his third top-10 start in 2005, all in the past four races ... Scott Riggs (fourth) has started from the top five in all three of his races at Talladega. ... Ryan Newman (fifth) is the only driver to post top-10 starts in every race this season. ... Dave Blaney (eighth) posted his first start better than 16th in 10 Talladega races. ... Kerry Earnhardt (31st) qualified for his fifth Cup race. All but his first race (Michigan, August 2000) have been in restrictor-plate races. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. (36th) posted just his second start outside the top 20 in 11 races at Talladega. His career worst start here was 38th in September 2003. ... Four drivers failed to qualify for the Aaron's 499: Robby Gordon, Kevin Lepage, Kenny Wallace and Stanton Barrett.