Tony Stewart set the target with a lap of 193.512, but said he expected Newman would "put up a number that nobody's ever seen (at Michigan) for sure." Credit: Autostock

Stewart's fast lap no match for 'Rocketman'

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Ryan Newman must've known exactly how Tony Stewart felt in the late stages of qualifying Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.

Stewart was knocked off the pole for Sunday's Batman Begins 400 when Newman, who went out 43rd of 47 drivers, eclipsed Stewart's track record by little more than a tenth of a second.

Stewart ended up third on the grid with a sporty lap in 37.207 seconds, an average speed of 193.512 mph. Casey Mears wedged in between the pair as the penultimate qualifier.

Stewart was denied his first pole in nearly two years, but was philosophical when he discussed his effort, and Sunday's race.

	Newman earns his fifth pole of the year. Credit: Autostock
	BATMAN BEGINS 400 •   Lineup •   Happy Hour Speeds •   1st Practice Speeds

"It was a great lap, obviously," Stewart said after running as the 15th driver out on the track. "The bad thing is, I don't know if it's going to hold up (because) you've got guys like Ryan Newman -- and Ryan will really put up a good lap.

"He'll put up a number that nobody's ever seen here for sure. But, I'm really happy with the way it ran."

After taking the pole, Newman recalled the late Kenny Irwin, who was a prolific open-wheel qualifier who also made an impact in Cup racing before he was killed in 2000 during practice at New Hampshire International Speedway.

"Kenny Irwin was that way -- Tracy Hines was that way," Newman said. "But I guess the person that really stands out is Kenny Irwin."

Newman also gave Stewart his due.

"Tony could lay down a hell of a lap on dirt," Newman said. "I'm not saying he can't lay down a hell of a lap on pavement, but I remember him running a quick time more on dirt than pavement."

Stewart said a recent test at Michigan was at least partly responsible for his run, which marked his ninth top-10 qualifying effort in 15 attempts this season.

"Zippy and the guys did an awesome job," Stewart said. "We came here a couple weeks ago and tested and felt that it was the first time that we actually made some big gains.

"If it drives like it did in practice and drives like it did in qualifying, I think we'll be fine."

Stewart's recent track record at Michigan includes four top-10 finishes in his last five starts, in which he's also started second (June 2003) and fourth (August 2004).

However, he's only led one of those races, in June 2003 when he was in front for 51 of 200 laps.