Tony Stewart will qualify a backup car Friday at Bristol. Credit: CIA Stock Photo

Stewart to backup car, Biffle paces practice

Bristol claims first Cup car in Friday's only session

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Nextel Cup Series points leader Tony Stewart will qualify his backup car Friday evening at Bristol Motor Speedway after crashing the primary machine in the weekend's only practice session.

	Stewart's crew gets the backup car from the hauler. Credit: CIA Stock Photo
	Practice Speeds Sharpie 500 Pos. Driver Make 1. Greg Biffle Ford 2. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 3. Scott Riggs Chevrolet 4. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 5. Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Complete speeds, click here

Stewart lost the car exiting Turn 2 and hit the outside wall with left-rear quarter panel. With just one practice for the entire weekend, the team chose to pull out the back-up car and get as many practice laps as possible rather than make an attempt to fix the primary car.

This marks just the third time in Stewart's career he'll require a backup, but the second time in 2005. The others came at Chicagoland Speeedway.

Stewart wound up with the 15th-fastest overall time in the session, a lap laid down in the back-up machine. The car Stewart will now pilot was last raced at Pocono in the spring to a 29th-place finish.

Greg Biffle, who needs to finish ninth or better to secure a guaranteed spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup assuming he starts all races before then, paced the practice session at 125.848 mph in 15.247 seconds, besting Kyle Busch's effort by three-hundredths of a second.

Scott Riggs, fresh off a career-best runner-up finish last weekend at Michigan International Speedway, was third quickest. Jeff Gordon, a five-time Bristol winner who hasn't gone to Victory Lane here since 2002, was fourth on the speed chart while Jeremy Mayfield, last week's winner at Michigan, rounded out the top five.

Mike Bliss was an impressive sixth while Kurt Busch --- four-time Bristol winner and a favorite this weekend, was seventh.

Kyle Busch was second in practice. Credit: Autostock

Casey Mears, who announced last weekend that he'll drive the No. 39 Dodge next season for Chip Ganassi Racing, was eighth, while Kasey Kahne and Mike Wallace rounded out the top 10.

Like Bliss, Ken Schrader was impressive in 11th, while Kevin Harvick, who swept both the Nextel Cup and Busch Series races at Bristol in the spring, was 12th.

Rusty Wallace can clinch by winning the race or finishing second Saturday as long as he starts all remaining races before the Chase. He was 14th in practice.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who swept the Nextel Cup and Busch Series races here one year ago, was 36th overall. Meanwhile, Elliott Sadler, who qualified on the Bud Pole here in the spring and went on to finish second to Harvick, was 45th.

Jimmie Johnson, who trails Stewart by 126 points in the championship standings, was 47th.