Ryan Newman qualified fourth for the second consecutive week. Credit: CIA Stock Photo

Newman's fast lap good sign during slow season

Rocketman qualifies fourth, hopes to continue success at Dover

DOVER, Del. -- If Ryan Newman could have won his third consecutive Bud Pole Award at Dover International Speedway Friday afternoon, it might have gone a good ways toward beginning to recapture a season gone bad.

Ryan Newman's average start at Dover is 6.4, tops among full-time Cup drivers. Credit: Autostock

Dover 400 Lineup Pos. Driver Speed Time 1. J. Gordon 156.162 23.053 2. S. Riggs 156.060 23.068 3. M. Kenseth 155.986 23.079 4. R. Newman 155.871 23.096 5. Nemechek 155.454 23.158 6. C. Edwards 155.367 23.171 7. Sorenson 155.346 23.174 8. G. Biffle 155.253 23.188 9. M. Martin 155.092 23.212 10. Ku. Busch 155.025 23.222 • Complete lineup, click here Pole winnerJeff Gordon wins the pole for the Dover 400 Dover qualsDale Jr. qualifies in 13th position at Dover, Harvick in 25th Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

By anyone's account, Newman's 2006 Nextel Cup Series campaign has been well below his expected standard -- if not downright miserable.

In no statistical category has Newman come close to achieving the marks to which the driver of Penske Racing South's No. 12 Dodge has become accustomed.

So when he qualified fourth behind pole winner Jeff Gordon -- whose third career Dover pole in 27 starts equaled Newman's total in only nine races -- Newman said he could see some light in what's become a dim weekly outlook.

"I'm pretty sure I lost a little time in [Turns] 1 and 2, but we gained some of it back in 3 and 4," Newman said. "You can't hit it perfect every time."

This season, Newman might be happy to have hit it perfectly every third week or so. The man who has 28 poles in the previous three seasons has only two so far this year.

He's averaged 17 top-10 finishes a year and a dozen top-fives each season for the past three years, yet has only seven and two, respectively, so far this season.

So when he recovered after nearly wrecking on his qualifying attempt he said it was definitely time to seize the moment.

"We got a little bit sideways on the first lap [but] not much," Newman said. "I steered the wheel a little bit to the right. By the time the car landed I was still pointed right and the car took off up the hill a little bit and I had to correct."

While that twitch cost him his 38th career pole, Newman's love for Dover has not been ill spent.

After qualifying 38th in his inaugural race here, in June 2002, he's qualified in the top five in every other attempt. In nine races he has three wins, five top-five and seven top-10 finishes.

"I still love this track," Newman said. "It's a great racetrack for everybody -- the drivers, the teams, the fans.

"Pit road is a little tight, but we've got to have something to complain about."

Newman's last victory came more than a year ago, when he kicked off the 2005 Chase for the Nextel Cup with a win at New Hampshire. As he sits 16th in the standings, he thinks his next could happen Sunday at Dover.

"It would be nice if we could win here again," Newman said. "We'll keep going and keep working on it.

"It hasn't been a good year for us, but we can finish up strong and make it a good year."