Newman wins pole; Johnson 15th

MARTINSVILLE, Va. - Jimmie Johnson finally wasn't flawless at Martinsville.

The points leader and winner in five of the past six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races on the smallest, tightest oval in the series qualified 15th Friday. Ryan Newman won the pole for Sunday's TUMS Fast Relief 500 with a lap at 96.795 mph, followed by Jeff Gordon at 96.519. Mark Martin, who trails Johnson and Gordon at the midpoint of the 10-race playoff, will start fourth, giving Hendrick Motorsports two cars in the front two rows. The pole is Newman's second of the season and 45th of his career.

"It's the place to be, no doubt, and it's the place to finish," Newman said.

Newman downplayed Johnson's poor showing, saying he noticed the three-time defending series champion spent very little time in practice working on his setup for the two-lap run. In all, only four of the 12 participants in the Chase for the championship qualified ahead of Johnson. Most chose to focus on their racing setup with prospects for additional practice sketchy. Heavy rain fell early at the speedway, and more is forecast for today.