Newman won the pole for the 50th Coca-Cola 600 Thursday night, edging Kyle Busch by just .033 seconds. The pole was Newman’s eighth in 17 races at the Concord, N.C. speedway and the 44th in 272 career starts.

Newman and Busch comprise an all WIX Filters front row for the 600. Cars equipped with WIX Filters have won pole positions for both the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 this season, plus four of the 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races in 2009.

"I really enjoy the race track and speed, obviously, and the banking,” Newman said. “I've always said I really enjoy banked race tracks and this is one of the best and fastest banked race tracks out there. I've had fast race cars with Penske racing and now with Stewart-Haas Racing and just have been blessed with fast race cars. I couldn't do it without fast race cars. I've always told my crew chief, whoever it is at the time, if you give me a straight arrow, I'll shoot it straight. But don't expect me to shoot a crooked arrow to the pole. And they've done a very good job for me."

Newman and Stewart-Haas Racing enter the 50th 600-mile race riding a wave of momentum. Owner-driver Tony Stewart captured the Sprint All-Star Race May 16 and Newman backed up that performance by capturing the top starting position in his potent No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet.

“I think both Tony and I have great race cars and it's a survival battle of 600 miles, 400 laps,” Newman said when asked what it would mean to win the race. “I've been fairly close before. We've had some fast race cars at the end of the race and fell short, but it's a long race and just to be in this position right now to have that opportunity is what I look for. It would mean the world obviously, for me.

Since 1939, WIX® Filters has been an innovator in filtration products. WIX designs, manufactures and distributes products for automotive, diesel, agricultural, industrial and specialty filter markets. Its product line includes oil, air, cabin interior, fuel, coolant, transmission and hydraulic filters for automobiles, trucks and off-road equipment. WIX, a member of the Affinia family of brands, is the number one filter in NASCAR and an exclusive NASCAR Performance Product. Its NASCAR relationship also includes the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award, which recognizes the drivers leading the most laps in each race. For more information, visit www.wixfilters.com.

Affinia Group Inc. is a global leader in the on and off-highway replacement products and service industry. In North America the Affinia family of brands includes WIX® Filters, Raybestos®, AIMCO® and BrakePro® brake products, and McQuay-Norris® and Raybestos™ Chassis parts. South American and European brands include Nakata®, Filtron®, Urba® and Quinton Hazell®. For more information, visit www.affiniagroup.com.

*Affinia Group Inc.’s affiliated companies include Brake Parts Inc. WIX Filtration Corp LLC, Affinia Products Corp LLC and other high quality manufacturers of the Affinia family of brands.