Kasey Kahne earns latest Sprint Cup pole

Long Pond, Pa. -- Kasey Kahne won the pole position during Friday's qualifying for the Pocono 500 Sprint Cup auto race in Long Pond, Pa.

Kahne's No.9 Budweiser Dodge circled the 2.5-mile tri-oval at a speed of 70.219 mph.

It was the first pole victory this season for the Coca-Cola 600 winner and the 15th of his Sprint Cup career.

"This has always been a pretty good racetrack for us," Kahne said of the Pocono Raceway. "We made hardly any adjustments from practice. Our car is really well balanced and it felt perfect."

Kahne is joined on the front row by two-time defending Sprint Cup points champion Jimmie Johnson.

Mark Martin (53.287 mph) and Regan Smith (53.335) will make up row two.
Other drivers of note and their starting positions: Carl Edwards (sixth); Dale Earnhardt Jr. (seventh); Kyle Busch (10th); Kurt Busch (11th); Tony Stewart (12th); Matt Kenseth (13th); Dario Franchitti (14th); Jeff Burton (20th); and Jeff Gordon (38th).

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.