NEWMAN STARTS IN TOP 5 AT CALIFORNIA

Ryan Newman qualified inside the top five for the third time in 10 starts at California Speedway on Friday.

Newman's lap of of 39.688 seconds gave him the fourth starting position for Sunday's Sharp AQUOS 500 at the 2-mile track.

"We have a good car for Sunday and we picked up some time during our qualifying lap," Newman said after climbing from his Dodge. "The car felt pretty good in practice and I'm looking forward to driving it on Sunday. The guys in the shop and in the garage have done a really good job of getting this car ready, so we’ll see what happens on Sunday."

Newman's last top-five start at the Southern California track came in 2003 when he qualified fourth and finished 42nd after a lap 34 accident. His only other top-five start came in 2002 – Newman’s first career Cup race at California Speedway – when he earned the Bud Pole Award and finished 14th.

Coverage of Sunday's Sharp AQUOS 500 from California Speedway will be handled by ESPN and MRN Radio beginning at 7 p.m. EDT.

Line-up for the Sharp AQUOS 500:

1. Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
2. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevrolet
3. Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge
4. Ryan Newman, No. 12 Kodak Dodge
5. Kyle Busch, No. 5 Cheez-It/CARQUEST Chevrolet