Harvick Wins Brickyard Pole, Sets Record

By JENNA FRYER AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS August 2, 2003; Jenna Fryer writing for the AP reported that Kevin Harvick set an Indianapolis Motor Speedway track record Saturday in winning the pole for the Brickyard 400.

Harvick turned a lap at 184.343 mph on the historic 2 1/2-mile oval in his Chevrolet. He bumped Indiana native Ryan Newman off the pole minutes after Newman set the track record with a lap at 184.238.

"That was an awesome lap," Harvick said. "I saw Bill (Elliott) and Ryan put up some pretty good laps, so we knew we had to go for it."

Newman, who leads the series with four wins this year, was surprised by the lap he turned in the No. 12 Dodge.

"I didn't expect to be quite that fast," Newman said. "I also didn't think my time would stand up. I knew a lot of fast cars were coming."

Both drivers beat the record of 182.960 set by Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart last season.

Elliott, the defending race winner, and Ward Burton qualified third and fourth in Dodges and Michael Waltrip was fifth in a Chevrolet.

Kurt Busch qualified sixth in a Ford and was followed by Joe Nemechek, Bobby Labonte, Jimmie Johnson and Jeremy Mayfield.

In qualifying first, Harvick gave car owner Richard Childress poles in three of the biggest races of the year: Jeff Green, who know longer drives for Childress, won the pole of the season-opening Daytona 500, Steve Park won the pole at Daytona last month and now Harvick has it at the Brickyard.

Stewart, still looking for his first victory on his home track, qualified 15th. Winston Cup points leader Matt Kenseth qualified 17th and three-time race winner Jeff Gordon was 19th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who trails Kenseth by 232 points in the standings, will start 36th.

Among those who failed to make the field were Ken Schrader, Brett Bodine and Christian Fittipaldi in a car owned by Petty Enterprises.

John Andretti, fired by the Pettys in June, qualified 11th in a car owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr.