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Friday, June 15
Rudd in position to end winless streak
Associated Press
LONG POND, Pa. -- Ricky Rudd put himself in the best
position to end an 88-race losing streak race by taking the pole
with ease Friday for the Pocono 500.
Coming off a second-place finish to Jeff Gordon last Sunday in
Brooklyn, Mich., Rudd toured the 2-mile Pocono International
Raceway in a Ford at 170.503 mph. That gave him his 27th career
pole but first in 44 tries on this track.
|  | | Ken Schrader, left, Mark Martin, middle, and Sterling Marlin, right, will all start in the top-5 on Sunday for the Pocono 500. |
"I thought we came up a little short," he said. "But it was a
lap I didn't think anybody could do today."
The reason for all his speed is no mystery to Rudd.
"The motor shop worked a lot of hours," he said. "They know
this is where they can shine."
Rudd, winless since the fall of 1998, is seeking his 21st career
victory. It would be his first in nearly 1½ years with Robert Yates
Racing, whom Rudd joined last season after selling his own team.
"We've got another year under our belt," Rudd said. "The
chemistry is better than it was a year ago and the cars are
better."
Rudd got around the track in 52.785 seconds, but his speed fell
short of Tony Stewart's record of 172.391 mph in qualifying last
July for the Pennsylvania 500.
"Really, I didn't think it was that good a lap," Rudd said.
"I thought I'd slowed up from what we did in practice."
He was wrong. His best practice speed was 169.725.
Starting next to Rudd's Taurus on Sunday will be the Dodge of
Sterling Marlin, which got around the track in 53.314 seconds at
168.811 mph.
"We were pretty quick right off the truck," Marlin said.
"Hopefully this time we can lead the last lap."
He was unlucky last Sunday, losing a substantial lead when a
late caution enabled Gordon and Rudd to catch up. Marlin wound up
third.
The second row is comprised of five-time Pocono polesitter Ken
Schrader, who went 168.312 in a Pontiac, and Stewart. Schrader
thought he had a chance to increase his record for Pocono poles,
but came up short.
"When Ricky Rudd went out and did that, I said, 'Let's not do
anything stupid,"' Schrader explained.
Stewart's Pontiac wound up fourth fastest, going 168.149.
"I'm pretty happy with that," he said. "We've been struggling
the last couple of weeks."
Row 3 will have Mark Martin in a Ford and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in
a Chevrolet.
Johnny Benson was seventh, followed by Jeff Burton.
Ninth was Jeremy Mayfield, who tapped and passed the late Dale
Earnhardt to win the race last June. Rusty Wallace, who won last
July when dominant teammate Mayfield blew a tire a mile from the
end, wound up 16th.
Dale Jarrett, who lost the points lead to Gordon last Sunday and
continues his recovery from a cracked rib and torn muscle he got in
a crash last month, qualified 10th.
Gordon, who led 381 of 400 laps while winning two weeks ago in
Dover, Del., and 143 of 200 in the victory in Michigan, was 14th.
But he wasn't disappointed even though he missed a fourth
straight start on the front row.
"That was a great lap for us," Gordon said. "That's the most
we could get out of it. Nobody had anything for Ricky. He's in
another atmosphere."
Only two cars, those of Kenny Wallace and rookie Andy Houston,
failed to make the field.
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