Full Throttle

TALLADEGA, Ala. - Kevin Harvick marked the birthday of the late Dale Earnhardt by winning the pole Friday at Talladega Superspeedway.

It was the third Nextel Cup pole for Harvick, who moved into Earnhardt’s seat at Richard Childress Racing a week after the seven-time NASCAR champion was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500.

“Obviously, it’s really special for everybody at RCR and the whole GM Goodwrench crew,” Harvick said. “Hopefully, we can open a new chapter in the long book of history that Dale and everybody at RCR have shared here and get a win on Sunday.”

Earnhardt, who would have been 54 Friday, won nine races at Talladega, making Childress the winningest car owner to compete here. Harvick has two second-place finishes in eight starts on the 2.66-mile track.

Harvick picked up considerably from his practice speeds Friday with a qualifying lap of 189.804 mph that was virtually unchallenged. Jeff Gordon was next at 188.988, putting Chevrolets on the front row for the Aaron’s 499.

“I think when you go back and look at most of the restrictor- plate races, we usually make one run and try not to overwork our motor,” Harvick explained. “That’s always been the philosophy of (crew chief) Todd Berrier, to run as few laps as possible.”

“We put everything we think we have on the car, and that’s pretty much what we’ve got. There’s no reason to beat a dead horse.”

Harvick was particularly happy with Friday’s showing, considering he was driving a new car.

“We destroyed both cars at Daytona (in February), so we had to go home and build new cars,” he said. “It’s obviously been a long process. We had to build new bodies and new chassis. Hopefully, we can carry the success of today on to Sunday.”

Gordon has won three of the last four races at Talladega and Daytona, the two tracks where NASCAR requires the horsepower-sapping carburetor restrictor plates to slow the cars.

He said missing the pole Friday was not a big disappointment.

“I don’t know where those guys found that speed, but I’m happy with second,” Gordon said. “We won this race here last year in this car.”

Elliott Sadler was third in a Ford at 188.548, followed by Scott Riggs in a Chevy at 188.474 and Ryan Newman in a Dodge at 188.237. Gordon’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson, the series points leader, was sixth at 188.226.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip — mates on the DEI team founded by Earnhardt’s father — were a disappointing 36th and 38th. They have combined to win 11 of the last 16 restrictor-plate races.

“It’s disappointing to qualify as bad as we do, compared to how we used to run here” said Earnhardt, who won here last October and finished third behind winner Gordon and Kurt Busch in the Daytona 500 in February. “We’ve got to figure out how to get these things to run a little better by themselves. It’s a little embarrassing. “

“But we were slow in qualifying at Daytona. We will get up there somehow in the race. We always do.”

Roush’s take

Jack Roush, whose team has won four of the first eight races this season, doesn’t worry about any further changes NASCAR might make to its aerodynamics rules.

“As long as they publish rules far enough in advance, I’m committed to adapt to them faster than my competitors,” Roush said Friday.

There has been considerable complaining from Cup teams and drivers this year in the wake of NASCAR shortening the rear spoilers and getting Goodyear to provide softer, faster-wearing tires for the cars in an effort to promote more passing and closer racing.

Instead, the changes have appeared to make the cars harder to drive, with a larger number of crashes and spinouts than usual and even less passing than in the past. But Roush, who fields five Nextel Cup entries, isn’t concerned.

“Every time NASCAR makes a change, it changes the personalities of the cars,” he said. “There are winners and there are losers. If you’re losing, you say, ‘Let’s make a change.’ You have to learn to adjust.”

Roush, whose team has won the past two Cup titles, has obviously made the right adjustments. Heading into Sunday’s race, four of his five drivers are among the top 10 in points, with defending series champ Kurt Busch second, Greg Biffle third, Mark Martin sixth and Carl Edwards eighth. Biffle has won twice and Busch and Edwards once each.

Only Matt Kenseth has struggled. The 2003 series champion has only one top-10 finish and is 28th in the points.

“Right now, the moon and stars all seem to be aligned for us,” Roush said. “We’d better enjoy it, because you never know when it’s going to change.”

When it does, Roush will adjust.