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 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. http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=5227529
