Motorsports

J. Gordongets past Newman

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Jeff Gordon finally beat Ryan Newman.

After getting knocked off the pole by Newman in last year's fall Winston Cup race at Martinsville Speedway, then again last month at Bristol when Newman stunned even himself, Gordon turned the tables in impressive fashion Friday, winning the pole for Sunday's Virginia 500.

"It's just awesome when you show up and unload off the truck and you're close, and you've got guys that trust and believe in you," he said.

Gordon's lap at 94.307 mph easily beat Newman's at 93.678, and one at 93.863 by Dale Earnhardt Jr., giving Gordon the 43rd pole of his career, his fourth on the series' shortest, tightest oval and first this season.

The lap also avenged a pole Gordon lost to Newman earlier this season at Bristol, when Newman obliterated Gordon's year-old qualifying record.

"Now I know how Ryan Newman felt at Bristol," Gordon said after beating everyone by .095 seconds, a huge margin in short-track qualifying. "I was in the same boat there ... and he just blew us away."

Earnhardt's time stood up for second. Newman will start third as the first of three consecutive Dodges, with Ken Schrader to his outside and Rusty Wallace right behind him.

Gordon will be seeking his fourth victory at the track Sunday.

BUSCH SERIES: Randy LaJoie won his first pole since July, setting a track record in qualifying at Nashville Superspeedway.

The two-time series champion ran a lap of 163.324 in a Chevrolet. He took the top spot for today's Pepsi 300 by getting around the 1.33-mile tri-oval in 29.382 seconds.

LaJoie topped the record of 161.440, set last year by Shane Hmiel, on his first lap. Then he went a little faster for the edge he needed on a sunny day when 16 drivers eclipsed the old mark.

Jason Keller will start beside LaJoie after a qualifying time of 162.898 in a Ford.

TRUCKS: Ted Musgrave won his second straight pole for a truck series race at Martinsville, turning a fast lap of 91.297 mph in a Dodge. Musgrave became the first driver in nine races at the .526-mile oval to win more than one pole. Series points leader Bobby Hamilton qualified second at 91.188. Fox broadcaster Darrell Waltrip qualified 12th.

CART: Paul Tracy assured himself another front-row start, taking the provisional pole for Sunday's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Canadian driver nipped Bruno Junqueira for the top spot with a lap of 1 minute, 9.079 seconds.

FORMULA ONE: Giancarlo Fisichella was declared the winner of the Brazilian Grand Prix, five days after the race. The sport's governing body ruled that Fisichella was leading before the race was stopped on the rain-soaked Interlagos track Sunday. Kimi Raikkonen, previously declared winner, was dropped to second.

NHRA: Doug Kalitta and Warren Johnson set records to lead the first round of qualifying at the O'Reilly Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park. Kalitta covered a quarter-mile in 4.486 seconds at a record 333.91 mph. Johnson's record elapsed time in Pro Stock was 6.720. He went 204.66 mph.

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