Waltrip on pole, Villeneuve makes field at Talladega

06.10.2007 21:00 Sport and Travel - Source: USA Today

Michael Waltrip and first-time NASCAR hopeful Jacques Villeneuve were among those who went fast. Sam Hornish, the 2006 Indy 500 winner, was among those drivers not in the top in owner points and locked into the race who were forced to go home.

On a track where starting position often dictates little about eventual race results, drivers who needed to qualify on time put extra effort into qualifying trim. The eight fastest qualifying times were all posted by drivers who needed to qualify on time.

Despite running the eighth, ninth and 10th fastest laps of the qualifying session, A.J. Allmendinger, Boris Said and Scott Riggs were among seven drivers who failed to make the race. Hornish, behind the wheel for Penske Racing, failed to qualify his Dodge for the third time in as many tries.

Preparation efforts paid off for Waltrip, who will share Sunday's front row will the Dave Blaney's Bill Davis Racing Toyota.

"We know we qualified well because we focused on qualifying and other teams didn't, but I also will tell you this is not a qualifying setup," said Waltrip, who earned his second pole since 1991 and first since June 2005 at Pocono Raceway. "This car will race. There's no doubt about it. Everything that we did down here (during) testing, we (applied it) to make if faster, but then we went and drafted with it to make sure I could drive it. It's really, really good."

In the first superspeedway event run with NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow, Waltrip was the only car to top 189 mph (189.07 mph). That was nearly three seconds slower than pole-sitter David Gilliland (191.721) posted for last year's UAW-Ford 500.

Waltrip said his fledgling Toyota organization continues to make strides. Three weeks ago he hired Dr. Eric Warren, formerly at Gillett Evernham Motorsports, as his team's technical director. Warren has made an impact, but Waltrip says his team has been evolving and improving since a dreadful start to the season.

At one point, after being penalized by NASCAR for a rules violation at the first race of the season at Daytona International Speedway, Waltrip failed to qualify for 11 consecutive events.

"I walked through the garage (at Talladega) and I felt better than I ever have," said Waltrip after stepping from his No. 55 Camry. "Eric Warren's walking around figuring stuff out. The three cars looked absolutely pristine. They were so tuned and ready for this event. It makes me feel proud."

All three of Michael Waltrip Racing's Toyota entries qualified for the race. Rookie David Reutimann turned the fifth-fastest lap and veteran Dale Jarrett was the final car among those outside the top 35 to make the cut. Jarrett qualified eighth.

"It's more important to me that all three car are in there than I'm first," Waltrip said.

Villenueve also driving a Toyota for Bill Davis Racing, posted the sixth-fastest lap (188.779), slotting behind defending race champion Brian Vickers in a Red Bull Toyota, Joe Nemechek in the Furniture Row Chevrolet and Reutimann.

"The key was to get in the show and that's what we worked on," said Villeneuve, 36, who'll be in his first NASCAR Cup event after participating in Saturday's Craftsman Truck Series event at Talladega. "The car runs real strong. We'll see how it is in the draft (in Sunday's race)."

Villenueve, who is set to make his second-ever NASCAR start in today's truck race at Talladega, said he's ready for the challenges that accompany his switch from open-wheel racing to stock cars.

"The thing is I come here with a lot more experience than anything I've ever done before," he said.

Nextel Cup contenders willingly took a back seat in qualifying to focus on racing setups for Sunday's race. The UAW-Ford 500 is an impound race, meaning teams must race their cars without modifications after qualifying.

Tony Stewart was the highest-qualifying Cup contender (187.057) and will start 11th.

"It was pretty uneventful," Stewart said. "I pulled out of the pits, shifted three times, held it wide open for two laps and rode around the pit. Tomorrow is when it gets busy for us."

Martin Truex Jr. (13th), Denny Hamlin (18th) and Jimmie Johnson (19th) will be the only other Chase drivers among the top 20 starters.

Chase contender Kurt Busch and Cup rookie David Ragan had their qualifying times disallowed because the front ends of their cars were too low in post-qualifying inspection and will start 41st and 42nd on Sunday. Jarrett will start 43rd as the slowest among time qualifiers in a field without a past champion's exemption.

UAW-Ford 500 lineup

(Car number in parentheses)

1. (55) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 189.070 mph.

2. (22) Dave Blaney, Toyota, 188.838 mph.

3. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 188.779 mph.

4. (78) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 188.471 mph.

5. (00) David Reutimann, Toyota, 188.459 mph.

6. (27) Jacques Villeneuve, Toyota, 188.215 mph.

7. (49) John Andretti, Dodge, 187.798 mph.

8. (43) Bobby Labonte, Dodge, 187.284 mph.

9. (9) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 187.258 mph.

10. (19) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, 187.119 mph.

11. (20) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 187.057 mph.

12. (45) Kyle Petty, Dodge, 186.827 mph.

13. (1) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 186.816 mph.

14. (96) Tony Raines, Chevrolet, 186.761 mph.

15. (88) Mike Wallace, Ford, 186.692 mph.

16. (12) Ryan Newman, Dodge, 186.663 mph.

17. (18) J.J. Yeley, Chevrolet, 186.467 mph.

18. (11) Denny Hamlin, Chevrolet, 186.202 mph.

19. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 186.133 mph.

20. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 186.014 mph.

21. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 185.956 mph.

22. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Dodge, 185.938 mph.

23. (07) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 185.826 mph.

24. (7) Robby Gordon, Ford, 185.797 mph.

25. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 185.783 mph.

26. (8) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 185.783 mph.

27. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 185.725 mph.

28. (41) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, 185.625 mph.

29. (25) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 185.542 mph.

30. (15) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 185.463 mph.

31. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 185.323 mph.

32. (66) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, 185.212 mph.

33. (40) David Stremme, Dodge, 185.061 mph.

34. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 185.051 mph.

35. (26) Jamie McMurray, Ford, owner points.

36. (5) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, owner points.

37. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, owner points.

38. (01) Aric Almirola, Chevrolet, owner points.

39. (70) Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, owner points.

40. (21) Ken Schrader, Ford, owner points.

41. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, owner points.

42. (6) David Ragan, Ford, owner points.

43. (44) Dale Jarrett, Toyota, 187.658 mph.

Failed To Qualify

44. (84) AJ Allmendinger, Toyota, 187.596 mph.

45. (60) Boris Said, Ford, 187.423 mph.

46. (10) Scott Riggs, Dodge, 187.328 mph.

47. (06) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 187.262 mph.

48. (36) Jeremy Mayfield, Toyota, 187.130 mph.

49. (09) Sterling Marlin, Chevrolet, 186.696 mph.

50. (4) Ward Burton, Chevrolet, 185.963 mph.

51. (37) Kevin Lepage, Dodge, 185.765 mph.

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