Kahne wins NASCAR pole

DARLINGTON, S.C., May 6 (UPI) -- Kasey Kahne won the pole Friday for Saturday night's Dodge Charger 500 at Darlington Raceway.

It was Kahne's first pole of the season and the fifth of his Nextel Cup career. He covered the 1.366-mile oval in 28.923 seconds.

Ryan Newman qualified second in 29.003, followed by Greg Biffle and Elliott Sadler.

Points leader Jimmie Johnson, who has been blamed by fellow drivers for causing a major wreck last week at Talladega, qualified ninth. Johnson won both of NASCAR's races at Darlington last year.

This track in rural South Carolina, one of the long-time stops on the NASCAR circuit, has been reduced to one race this year.