NASCAR: Rocket Ryan Newman wins Martinsville Pole

After Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin, finished battling for the pole, rival Ryan Newman stepped up and claimed it for himself at Martinsville, VA.

Newman, driving for Stewart-Haas Racing which obtains NASCAR Sprint Cup chassis and motors from Hendrick Motorsports, bumped Gordon off the pole, his second of the year and the 45th in his career.

“I think I got everything I could,” said Newman, called “Rocket Ryan” after turning a lap averaging 96.795 mph around the one-half mile, paper-clip shaped, oval.

This is the only short track in the ten-race Chase to the Sprint Cup. Newman explained, “after being at so many big tracks you come to a short track it’s easy to overdrive it here.”

Earlier, Gordon was bumping Martin off the pole with a lap of 96.519 mph. “When you have your teammates go ahead of you like that; and one behind you, it’s a great feeling,” he said while holding the provisional pole.

Gordon said it felt good to be able to compete with  his teammates even though they had run a solid lap. “Mark'd been kicking our tails in qualifying every week,” he added.

Martin Truex, Jr., who will be leaving Earnhardt Ganassi Racing for Michael Waltrip Racing at the end of the year, was third fastest at 96.509 mph.

Mark Martin ended up fourth quickest as Chevrolet swept the first two rows of the grid.

David Reutimann, Truex teammate next year, was fifth in an MWR Toyota.

Jimmie Johnson has a 90-point lead over Martin qualified 15th. Gordon is third with a 135 point deficit. There are five races remaining in the Chase.