FanHouse BudPoleAward

Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored his first pole in five years ... on the third day of the eighth month. 8-3=5 Is it a sign he should drive the #5? I don't know, but a reader told me the fans were discussing it on the The Pit Board.

On the Pocono Racway tri-oval no less, where he's only had only one top 5 starting spot in 15 races and has never had a win.

Unfortunately, right after qualifying, the #8 team managed to push the Budweiser Chevrolet off the scales smack into a Gator vehicle smashing the front end in--nothing they could have done to stop it. Hmmm. Just what we need ... more fuel for the conspiracy theorists.

Nonetheless, I'm sure Junior celebrated with a few Buds tonight and is totally stoked about winning another Bud Pole Award before he passes the Bud (Light) sponsor torch to Kasey Kahne at the end of the season.

Kahne's teammate, Scott Riggs, was once again the highest qualifier of those racing in on time.

Losers of the Week (DNQs)
#49 Mike Bliss (12), #84 AJ Allmendinger (13), # 37 Kevin Lepage (16), # 78 Kenny Wallace (12)

Pennsylvania 500 Race Lineup

Toyota is celebrating a Nextel Cup milestone today: their first Bud Pole Award.

Dave Blaney put the manufacturer on top of the New Hampshire International Speedway scoring pylon today and became the first driver outside the top 35 in points to nab the pole.

Blaney has qualified for more races than any other Toyota driver, but he doesn't seem to know what to do once he gets there and can't seem to climb his way into the top 35. Kyle Petty's trying to help him out by sitting out a few.

Brian Vickers, who I had previously named as Toyota's emerging star, has qualified on time for 9 races and made Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 300 his tenth. Unfortunately, he got a post-qualifying surprise when his time was disallowed after the #83 car failed inspection. He'll join Red Bull teammate A.J. Allmendinger on the couch.

Per usual, Michael Waltrip and Dale Jarrett will be sitting this one out, but MWR's David Reutimann is in starting 17th.

And in another qualifying surprise, Blaney's teammate Jeremy Mayfield qualified for his sixth race. Remember when he was, like, a chase contender?

One man's loss is another man's gain.
Since Vickers won't need his PR rep in the pits on raceday, Ashley Miller will be free to sit atop her boyfriend's pit box and give him the extra girlfriend support he might be needing since recently meeting her parents. What must it be like bringing Kasey Kahne home to meet mom and dad?

Jamie McMurray starts on the pole today. That's only happened twice before in his five-year Nextel Cup career, the last time at the 2005 Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway on July 24, 2005. He finished 11th. His first Bud Pole Award came at Homestead in 2004 where he finished 9th.

Robby Gordon will start 2nd in the Toyota/SaveMart 350. Last time he started that high in the field was here in 2003. He won. He owes TGOM a thank you. Because he was excluded from the power rankings, he has a shot at repeating.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. starts 3rd. Previously, his best start at Infineon Raceway came in 2005, which didn't work out too well for him. He started 10th, finished 42nd.

For the first time in his Nextel Cup career, J.J. Yeley will start on the pole position in Sunday's Citizen's Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The front row start is his first since starting 2nd last season in Texas.

He's understandably thrilled:

"It feels really good. We had an excellent car all through practice. It's all about not overdriving the car, not overstepping that boundary."

I am not.

I'll give the team a big "BRAVO!" after he paces the race without "overdriving the car" at the drop of the green flag and taking out half the field.

The jury is still out on how far he has come since last year at Michigan when he went through three race cars:

Meanwhile, Yeley's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart will start 41st, tying his career-worst starting position of 41st last achieved at the 2001 Harrah's 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Is it girl trouble? Suffering a breakup and the girlfriend putting diesel in the suburban can be distracting. Incidentally, I'm not sure in which order these events occurred.

Sunday's Complete Lineup

Previously in The Fanhouse
Coca-Cola 600 Top 5 A Motley Crew
Yeley's Got No Room To Talk

Jeff Gordon will be out front on Sunday when the cars of tomorrow take the green flag.

All four manufacturers have at least one car starting inside the Top 10.

Toyota drivers A.J. Allmendinger (Red Bull Racing) and Jeremy Mayfield (Bill Davis Racing) both made the field for the first time in five attempts. Brian Vickers also made the field for his third race of the season.

Michael Waltrip Racing's #55 (Waltrip) and #00 (David Reutimann) both failed to qualify. Dale Jarrett qualified the #44 on time and still maintains two championship provisionals.

Top 35 bubble driver Paul Menard (DEI) failed to qualify, as did Kevin LePage (0-5). Joe Nemechek and Johnny Sauter both failed to qualify for the first time in 2007.

Food City 500 Starting Lineup