Ryan Newman is the fastest NASCAR qualifier for the sixth time this season.

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) – Ryan Newman brought his qualifying magic to Darlington Raceway.

After losing the top position to Elliott Sadler on the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval in qualifying in the spring, Newman had just enough speed Friday and will start out front in the Southern 500.

Newman’s fast lap of 169.048 mph in a Penske Racing Dodge barely outstripped the 168.862 of Jimmie Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. The time difference was just 0.032-seconds.

“That was just a good enough lap to beat Jimmie,” Newman said. “He had a good car, too.”

Johnson said, “I was so close to Ryan. I left a little on the table in (turn) four, getting back into the gas.

“Probably all I needed was just a little bit. But I’m just very happy because track position is very important here.”

The “Track Too Tough To Tame,” which will lose its traditional Labor Day weekend date to California Speedway in 2004 after a 54-year run and move the Southern 500 to November, is supposed to be the most difficult in NASCAR for young drivers.

But, a year ago, as first-year drivers, Newman qualified third and 12th and finished fifth and second in the two Darlington events, while Johnson started fifth in both races and finished ninth and sixth.

The narrow, treacherous track didn’t treat them quite as well in March when Newman started second but finished 14th, and Johnson started 14th and finished 27th.

“Its a great racetrack,” Newman said. “It’s a driver’s racetrack.”

The series-leading sixth pole of the season for Newman matched his total last year, when he was the top Winston Cup rookie, and gave him a career total of 13 in just 69 races.

This one was a little more special than others because Newman was able to beat out Johnson, his friendly rival.

“We’re good friends on and off the racetrack,” said Newman, who walked up to Johnson’s car and gave him some friendly advice before both qualified.

“We’ve been fortunate not to step on each other’s toes in a year and a half of racing. That makes it fun.”

Johnson said the two have a special relationship.

“We’re competitive with all the drivers, but Ryan and I have a little more of a defined situation because we both ran for the rookie title last year,” he said.

“We’re about the same age, so he’s doing to be a thorn in my side for a long time.”

Terry Labonte was third in another Hendrick Chevy at 168.538, followed by Sadler’s Ford at 168.451, the Monte Carlo of Bobby Labonte at 158.227 and series points leader Matt Kenseth at 158.158 in a Taurus.

Ricky Craven of Newburgh, who won the spring race, will start eighth.

For Kenseth, who will go into Sunday’s race with a whopping 351-point lead over runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr., it is only his seventh top-10 qualifying spot in 25 races this season.

Jimmy Spencer, returning after a week’s suspension for punching Kurt Busch in the face after the race Aug. 10 in Michigan, had a difficult day, crashing during his qualifying run. He had to fall back on a provisional start and will be 38th in the 43-car field on Sunday.

“We had a really good car and we’re going to a backup now,” Spencer said. “We made a mistake and tore it all to pieces.”

Jeff Gordon, the defending champion and winner of five Southern 500s, will start 14th, while Busch, coming off a victory last Saturday night in Bristol, will start 31st.

Some people might be happy not to be here on a day like Friday, with air temperatures hovering in the mid-90s and the track temperature considerably higher, making the asphalt surface treacherous.

But Terry Labonte, who won the 1980 Southern 500 – the first of 21 wins for the two-time series champion – is one of many drivers who have expressed regret that they will no longer be racing at Darlington on Labor Day weekend.

“With the track hot and slippery, this is a perfect Darlington weekend,” Labonte said. “It won’t be the same in November.”

AP-ES-08-29-03 1740EDT