Sadler claims first Cup pole since 2006 season

To call Friday a good day for Elliott Sadler would be a massive understatement.

Approximately one hour after announcing a full-time multi-year Nationwide Series deal with Kevin Harvick Inc., Sadler put the Sprint Cup Series car he will leave at the end of the season on the pole for Sunday's AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

AAA Texas 500

Lineup

Pos.	Driver	Make
1.	Elliott Sadler	Ford
2.	Greg Biffle	Ford
3.	Carl Edwards	Ford
4.	Juan Montoya	Chevrolet
5.	David Ragan	Ford

Complete Lineup

With a lap at 195.397 mph (27.636 seconds -- a speed that shocked his closest competitors for the top spot -- Sadler claimed his first Coors Light Pole Award since April 30, 2006, at Talladega and the eighth of his career.

On a day in which the three foremost championship contenders turned in mediocre qualifying efforts, Sadler's pole run in the No. 19 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford -- which broke a 168-race drought -- was the fastest qualifying lap turned in the Cup series in 2010, and it gave Sadler a pole in each of NASCAR's top three series this year.

"It's been a good day to be an Elliott Sadler kind of guy today," said Sadler, who accomplished the feat despite the financial crisis and uncertainty that have beset RPM in recent weeks. "I stay out of all the business side of it. I'm on the performance side, and for my guys to show up and give me a car like they have this weekend shows a lot about the character of the race shop guys that I have with the 19 car.

"[Crew chief] Todd Parrott has done an amazing job. We showed up, we were fast off the truck, and it's definitely a good start to our week."

Roush Fenway Racing teammates Greg Biffle (193.653 mph) and Carl Edwards (193.646 mph) were one thousandth of a second apart in capturing the second and third starting positions for the eighth race in the Chase.

"I definitely have to give those guys credit and Elliott credit for the lap that he ran," Edwards said. "It was just a spectacular lap. ... I was extremely surprised. My lap felt really, really fast. I went across the line, and I thought, 'That's the pole, for sure.'

"I waited for [crew chief] Bob [Osborne] to tell me the time, and I can't believe he was two and a half tenths faster than us. That's unbelievably fast."

The three Chase leaders -- Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick -- all will have to contend with heavy traffic early in Sunday's race. Johnson qualified 17th, Harvick 26th and Hamlin 30th. Hamlin won the April race at Texas from the 29th starting position.