Ryan Newman thought a little rain might extend his pole drought.Instead, the rain only delayed the wait and didn’t keep Newman from putting himself on the pole for the first time this season with a lap of 154.633 mph Friday at Dover International Speedway.

Newman now has a 36 career poles in 165 starts — but none of them had come this year, breaking a 14-race streak without one. Rain interrupted the qualifying session and could have wiped out the lap had it continued. Newman browsed for old race car parts on e-Bay, worrying that his spot would not stand.

“That was my initial feeling,” he said. “That was definitely a big gainer. Mother Nature did work out for us.”

Jeremy Mayfield joins him on the front row for Sunday’s race after a lap of 154.361. Jeff Gordon was third at 154.063 and Kurt Busch fourth at 153.774.

Starting Lineup:

1 12 Ryan Newman Alltel Dodge

2 19 Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge

3 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet

4 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge

5 29 Kevin Harvick GM Goodwrench Chevrolet

6 6 Mark Martin AAA Ford

7 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Chevrolet

8 38 Elliott Sadler M&M’s Ford

9 26 Jamie McMurray Irwin Industrial Tools Ford

10 20 Tony Stewart POWERade Chevrolet

11 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser Chevrolet

12 66 Jeff Green Best Buy Chevrolet

13 01 Joe Nemechek U.S. Army Chevrolet

14 18 J.J. Yeley Imitrex Chevrolet

15 10 Scott Riggs Valvoline Dodge

16 00 Hermie Sadler UWFUSA.com Chevrolet

17 31 Jeff Burton Cingular Wireless Chevrolet

18 49 Kevin Lepage State Water Heaters Dodge

19 17 Matt Kenseth DeWalt Ford

20 16 Greg Biffle National Guard Ford

21 1 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet

22 07 Clint Bowyer Jack Daniels Chevrolet

23 14 Sterling Marlin Waste Management Chevrolet

24 25 Brian Vickers ditech.com/GMAC Chevrolet

25 99 Carl Edwards Office Depot Ford

26 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge

27 32 Travis Kvapil Tide Chevrolet

28 43 Bobby Labonte Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge

29 40 David Stremme Lonestar Steakhouse Dodge

30 5 Kyle Busch Kellogg’s Cars Chevrolet

31 22 Dave Blaney Caterpillar Dodge

32 96 Tony Raines DLP HDTV Chevrolet

33 55 Michael Waltrip NAPA Dodge

34 42 Casey Mears Texaco/Havoline Dodge

35 45 Kyle Petty Wells Fargo Dodge

36 74 Derrike Cope Sundance Vacations Dodge

37 78 Kenny Wallace Furniture Row Chevrolet

38 21 Ken Schrader Little Debbie Ford

39 41 Reed Sorenson Target Dodge

40 88 Dale Jarrett UPS Ford

41 7 Robby Gordon Menards Chevrolet

42 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet

43 4 Scott Wimmer AERO Exhaust Chevrolet

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