NASCAR: Earnhardt Jr. Wins First Pole Since 2002

This is Earnhardt Jr.'s first pole since Sept. 29, 2002 at Kansas.

Photo courtesy: DEI

LONG POND, Pa. - Dale Earnhardt Jr. got a fortuitous break from the weather to capture the pole position Friday for the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway.

With qualifying almost complete, the Busch brothers -- Kurt and Kyle -- were occupying the front row.

As Earnhardt Jr. was in the middle of making his attempt, it began to rain, causing Earnhardt Jr. to abort his lap.

Following a 45-minute delay to dry the track, NASCAR allowed Earnhardt Jr. to make another attempt.

With the track cooled considerably, he ripped off a lap of 52.949 seconds at 169.975 mph to earn his seventh career pole, first at Pocono and first since Sept. 29, 2002 at Kansas.

Kurt Busch was second at 169.863 mph and Kyle Busch was third at 169.782 mph. Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top five.

The Pennsylvania 500 is scheduled to get the green flag Sunday at 2:00 PM.

Pennsylvania 500 Starting Lineup:

POS CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR SPEED TIME BEHIND

1. 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Budweiser 169.975 52.949 Leader

2. 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 169.863 52.984 -0.035

3. 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Kellogg's / CARQUEST 169.783 53.009 -0.060

4. 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Mobil 1 169.738 53.023 -0.074

5. 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Dodge Dealers / UAW 169.587 53.070 -0.121

6. 11 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet FedEx Express 169.501 53.097 -0.148

7. 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's 169.322 53.153 -0.204

8. 25 Casey Mears Chevrolet National Guard / GMAC 169.268 53.170 -0.221

9. 42 Juan Montoya* Dodge Texaco / Havoline 168.916 53.281 -0.332

10. 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Target 168.643 53.367 -0.418

11. 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 168.451 53.428 -0.479

12. 16 Greg Biffle Ford "Dog the Bounty Hunter" / Dish Network 168.438 53.432 -0.483

13. 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 168.300 53.476 -0.527

14. 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Dodge Dealers / UAW 168.237 53.496 -0.547

15. 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Camping World

/ RVs.com 168.070 53.549 -0.600

16. 10 Scott Riggs Dodge Valvoline / Stanley Tools 167.942 53.590 -0.641

17. 96 Tony Raines Chevrolet DLP HDTV / "Rush Hour 3" 167.923 53.596 -0.647

18. 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet AT&T Mobility 167.917 53.598 -0.649

19. 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar 167.863 53.615 -0.666

20. 88 Ricky Rudd Ford Combos 167.788 53.639 -0.690

21. 21 Bill Elliott Ford U.S. Air Force 167.785 53.640 -0.691

22. 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Crown Royal 167.607 53.697 -0.748

23. 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 167.417 53.758 -0.809

24. 20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet The Home Depot 167.324 53.788 -0.839

25. 01 Mark Martin Chevrolet U.S. Army 167.258 53.809 -0.860

26. 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios / Betty Crocker 167.218 53.822 -0.873

27. 18 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet Interstate Batteries 167.156 53.842 -0.893

28. 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 167.053 53.875 -0.926

29. 99 Carl Edwards Ford Office Depot 167.035 53.881 -0.932

30. 7 Robby Gordon Ford MAPEI / Menards 166.942 53.911 -0.962

31. 00 David Reutimann* Toyota Burger King 166.722 53.982 -1.033

32. 66 Jeff Green Chevrolet Haas Automation 166.688 53.993 -1.044

33. 38 David Gilliland Ford M&M's 166.587 54.026 -1.077

34. 40 David Stremme Dodge Target 166.257 54.133 -1.184

35. 15 Paul Menard* Chevrolet Energizer / Menards 166.064 54.196 -1.247

36. 6 David Ragan* Ford AAA 165.886 54.254 -1.305

37. 17 Matt Kenseth Ford DEWALT 165.767 54.293 -1.344

38. 4 Ward Burton Chevrolet Lucas Oil / State Water Heaters 165.596 54.349 -1.400

39. 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA Auto Parts 165.584 54.353 -1.404

40. 44 Dale Jarrett Toyota UPS 165.578 54.355 -1.406

41. 70 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet Haas Automation 165.560 54.361 -1.412

42. 45 Kyle Petty+ Dodge Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil 164.558 54.692 -1.743

43. 36 Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 360 OTC 165.542 54.367 -1.418

Did Not Qualify

44.49 Mike Bliss Dodge Paralyzed Veterans of America 165.496 54.382 -1.433

45.84 A.J. Allmendinger* Toyota Red Bull 164.681 54.651 -1.702

46.37 Kevin Lepage Dodge Front Row Motorsports / Detoxify Brand 163.690 54.982 -2.033

47.78 Kenny Wallace Chevrolet Furniture Row Racing 162.297 55.454 -2.505

+ Set by Owner Points

* Denotes Rookie

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