Kurt Busch has the best average finish at Talladega among the 10 Chasers. Credit: Autostock

Qualifying may prove meaningless for Chasers

Friday numbers have rarely been barometer of Sunday success

Qualifying results Friday at Talladega Superspeedway proved once and for all that numbers don't mean a blessed thing when it comes to the 2.66-mile tri-oval.

Six of the 10 Chasers qualified in the top 12 on Friday, led by Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart in the top five. But the driver with the best averaging finishing position among the 10 finalists for the title, Kurt Busch, could manage just 22nd.

	Wallace is winless in 71 restrictor-plate starts. Credit: Autostock
	Lineup UAW-Ford 500 Pos. Driver Make 1. E. Sadler Chevrolet 2. D. Jarrett Ford 3. R. Newman Dodge 4. T. Stewart Chevrolet 5. J. Nemechek Chevrolet Complete Lineup, click here Up in smokeWallace loses an engine in qualifying at Talladega Pole winnerElliott Sadler nabs his third pole of the season. Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Newman, who always seems to have a late draw in qualifying, was the last bullet that eventual pole-sitter Elliott Sadler had to dodge, and Newman wound up fourth at 50.775 seconds, 188.597 seconds. Newman does not have a pole at Talladega in seven starts, making it one of the few tracks where he has not started first.

His average start is second-best among Chasers (10.857), and he averages a 22.714 finish.

Stewart went early and Newman barely edged him out for fourth. Stewart's lap at 50.782 seconds, 188.597 mph was good for fifth, considerably better than his average of 18.307 (fourth among Chasers). Stewart's 12.692 average finish is second among Chasers to only Busch's 12.444.

Greg Biffle was third among Chasers in ninth, posting a lap at 50.872 seconds, 188.237 mph. That's much better than his 25.6 average start (ninth among the 10 Chasers) and gives hope that he can improve his average finish of 20.400 in five starts.

Jimmie Johnson, the Chase point leader and owner of the best starting average among Chasers (6.000 in seven starts), qualified his Chevrolet 10th with a lap of 50.878 seconds, 188.215 mph. Despite the gaudy starting average, Johnson hasn't been able to translate that to finishes, as he currently averages 22.000, seventh-best among Chasers.

Carl Edwards, making his third Talladega start, was a surprising 11th, running 50.909 seconds, 188.100 mph in his Ford. Edwards averages 23.000 per start (seventh among Chasers), but his real trouble comes on race day. His best finish in two previous starts there is 32nd, and his average is 37.000, last among the Chase participants.

Matt Kenseth, who never seems to qualify all that well but is always around at the finish, posted the 12th-fastest lap of 50.937 seconds, 187.997 mph in his Ford. His career Talladega numbers back that up, as his average start of 28.363 is worst among Chasers, and his average finish of 18.545 is fourth-best.

Busch, best finisher among the Chasers, qualified 22nd at 51.196 seconds, 187.046 mph in his Ford. With his Chase hopes on the ropes, Busch is hoping that averages mean something on Sunday. His average start is 21.111, sixth among the Chasers.

Mark Martin is also hoping that numbers don't lie on Sunday. He qualified 25th, lapping the 2.66-mile oval at 51.267 seconds, 186.787 mph. His average start is 13.871, and his finish average is 14.512, third among Chasers.

Jeremy Mayfield, who has won three poles -- all for different car owners -- at Talladega, was 33rd in his Dodge. His lap at 51.445 seconds, 186.141 mph was 10 spots worse than his average of 23.863, and his average finish is 23.090.

Rusty Wallace, second in the points coming in, had the first bit of bad luck so far in his Chase for another title. Something broke in the No. 2 Dodge on his first lap, and Wallace recorded a time of 53.962 seconds at 177.458 mph, slowest of the 46 cars that took time. His average start of 20.886 is fifth among the Chase racers, and his average finish of 20.454 is sixth. He'll start 41st on Sunday, but likely will drop to the tail at the start.

Among manufacturers, Newman's Dodge was the best, with Mayfield and Wallace deep in the field. The Chevrolets of Stewart and Johnson will both roll off in the top 10, and the five Roush Fords are placed ninth, 11th, 12th, 22nd and 25th.