Tony Stewart earned his second Bud Pole of the season Saturday at New Hampshire. Credit: Autostock

Stewart sends strong message with NHIS pole

If you're going to set the tone for a 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup, there's no better way than to prove you're the fastest car right out of the box.

That's what Tony Stewart did Saturday afternoon, winning the pole for the Sylvania 300. Not only does that mean he's likely to lock up at least five points for leading a lap by starting first, he'll also have his pick of stalls on the notoriously tight pit road at the Magic Mile.

	Credit: CIA Stock Photo
	Lineup Sylvania 300 Pos. Driver Make 1. T. Stewart Chevrolet 2. J. Gordon Chevrolet 3. D. Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 4. M. Kenseth Ford 5. S. Riggs Chevrolet Complete lineup, click here Pole-sitterTony Stewart snags his second Bud Pole of the season Edwards needs moreEdwards qualifies with slowest time amongst Chase drivers Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Stewart's lap of 29.043 seconds at 131.143 mph knocked a suddenly resurgent Jeff Gordon off the pole and earned Stewart his third pole of the season (he had the pole at Watkins Glen before rain KO'd the rest of qualifying).

The pole is Stewart's first at New Hampshire. His best previous start here was fourth, in this race last year. It also gives him a shot at sweeping the events there this season. If he does, he will join fellow Chasers Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch (2003 and 2004, respectively). Stewart's average start at NHIS is 11.923, and his average finish in 13 starts is 13.461, and that includes last year's 39th-place result in this race. He's won here twice, including in July.

Continuing his red-hot run that saw him make the Chase in the final three races, Matt Kenseth was the second-best Chaser in qualifying, timing in fourth with a lap at 29.149 seconds, 130.667 mph. That's much better than his average start in 11 prior races there (17.454), and should help him improve on an average finish of 11.363. Kenseth has always run well at NHIS, finishing seven races in the top 10 and four in the top five.

Rusty Wallace won the first NHIS NASCAR event back in 1993, and he wants to bookend his career there with a victory in his final NHIS race. Wallace was the best Dodge on Saturday, timing in seventh at 29.247 seconds, 130.229 mph. That's better than his career NHIS average start of 12.761. He was fastest in Happy Hour, so Wallace figures to make some noise come Sunday.

Jeremy Mayfield, like Stewart a victim of Robby Gordon's mental moment last year in this race, figures to be ahead of whatever madness is made Sunday. He timed in eighth, right behind Wallace at 29.285 seconds, 130.060 mph. His average in 19 NHIS starts has been 18.736, and he averages a Chase-worst 25.421 finish there.

If anyone needed a boost in qualifying, it was Jimmie Johnson, who limped into the Chase by losing two spots in the point standings over the final two races. He got the boost he needed, putting his Chevrolet 10th at 29.339 seconds, 129.820 mph.

Johnson knows how to win at New Hampshire. He swept both races there in 2003. Starting 10th might be a big help on Sunday. Johnson has been remarkably consistent at New Hampshire, averaging 8.857 for a start and 8.714 for a finish. Johnson and Stewart lead Chase drivers with two victories apiece at NHIS, but Johnson has finished 11th twice and 13th in the three races since.

Matt Kenseth qualified a surprising fourth at NHIS. Credit: Autostock

Ryan Newman went out next to last on Saturday, and despite a gaudy average starting spot of 5.714, could do no better than 12th at 29.376 seconds, 129.657 mph. Newman, who joins Stewart, Johnson and Wallace as the only Chasers that have won at NHIS, has an equally gaudy 8.857 average finish. Prior to this race last year, where he finished 33rd after blowing an engine, he had never finished worse than ninth in seven starts. Newman also earned his first career victory at NHIS, in September 2002.

Mark Martin has been around for all 21 NHIS races, and he's finished in the top five in 33 percent of those starts (seven for 21). He's been in the top 10 in 11 of those races, better than 50 percent. Still, he's never won, and it would be a great launch for his Chase if he could rectify that on Sunday. His lap at 29.425 seconds, 129.441 mph puts him 15th, squarely on his average starting spot of 14.476. His average finish is 11.476.

Carl Edwards, the surprise contender in the Chase, put his Ford in 24th, posting a time of 29.525 at 129.003 mph. Edwards has just two starts at NHIS, but his average start there is 20.5 and his average finish a respectable 16th. He was 12th in the July race.

Perhaps the most surprising performance came from Greg Biffle, who is second to Stewart in the points heading into Sunday. Biffle went out early and posted a lap at 29.534 seconds, 128.963 mph, good for 26th. That's 14 spots lower than his average of 12.166. The bad news is, in six starts at NHIS, his average finish is 24.667. Of course, he did run fifth there in July, and he has a top-10 finish in 2003.

Overall, the Chevrolets of Stewart and Johnson opened and closed the top 10, with Kenseth's Ford and the Dodges of Wallace and Mayfield in between. Busch's Ford was 12th, Newman's Dodge 13th, and the three remaining Roush Fords of Martin, Edwards and Biffle rounded out the 10 Chase qualifiers.