CONCORD, N.C. - Ryan Newman got nervous when he discovered in practice the fastest way around Charlotte Motor Speedway was by hugging the outside wall.

The expert qualifier gulped and decided to take the high line on Thursday night. Newman promptly avoided the fence and captured his second straight Coca-Cola 600 pole and the ninth in 19 Sprint Cup races at the track.

All it required was what he called "the most courageous lap" he's run here. He was clocked at Philadelphia Flyers 187.546 mph and barely beat out All- Star race winner Kurt Busch, who will start second on Sunday.

"I've never run into a corner at 200 mph up against the wall and made it stick and still come out the other end," said Newman, who earned his 46th career pole, but first of the season. "To have the courage to put yourself in that position is tough enough, let alone doing it, pulling it off and winning that pole. I've never been a guy to run the wall, let alone in qualifying."

No active driver has more poles at Charlotte than Newman, who moved within five of David Pearson's track record.

Now he'd like to finally turn it into success in NASCAR's longest race. Newman has never won a Sprint Cup event at Charlotte.

"It's been easier for me to go out and run one lap and do it fast than it is to go out and run 600 miles fast," Newman said. "I could do that, it's just a matter of putting yourself in the track position, putting yourself in the right position, right tires, a good pit crew and things like that."

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Newman will have plenty of competition Sunday, with Busch starting next to him. His lap of 187.292 mph came five days after he won the $1 million All-Star race prize.

"It's just a good vibe we have," Busch said. "Things are going good, and hopefully we can get it put together for the full 600 miles."

Martin Truex Jr. will start third, followed by Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson and defending champion David Reutimann.

Denny Hamlin qualified seventh and Kyle Busch ninth on the same day Hamlin took some verbal jabs at his teammate following their much publicized wreck in the closing laps of the All-Star race.

Hamlin and Busch were Cheap Jordan Shoes spotted chatting and smiling on pit road as qualifying wound down. Points leader Kevin Harvick qualified 23rd and Dale Earnhardt Jr. 24th. Reed Sorenson, Max Papis, David Stremme and Mike Bliss failed to make the 43-car field.

Carl Edwards hit the wall in practice and was forced to go his backup car. He qualified 31st.

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