SPARTA, Ky. -- The questions during NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying Friday were how many drivers would raise Kentucky Speedways record and by how much. Dale Earnhardt Jr. provided the answer of the eight that broke it, clocking 183.636 mph to wrest the mark from Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson and the pole for Saturday nights race. Earnhardts speed was nearly 2 mph faster than Johnsons 181.818 mph last June, which he needed to keep Johnson from keeping the record. Minutes before, Johnson had a lap at 183.144 mph to hold off Ryan Newman (182.254). Earnhardt set the standard in the No. 88 Chevy soon after and survived several furious attempts to unseat him before coming away with his 12th career pole and first at Kentucky. Carl Edwards (183.306 mph) eventually grabbed the outside front in the No. 99 Ford. Johnson settled for third with Kyle Busch (182.593) fourth in a Toyota. Marcos Ambrose (182.587) qualified fifth in a Ford and will start alongside Denny Hamlin, whose No. 11 Toyota ran 182.340 mph. The final two over 182 mph were Newman and defending race winner and Cup champion Brad Keselowski (182.192). "I thought we had a good car in practice," Earnhardt said, "and we got some cloud cover. That gave us an opportunity to run a good lap." Drivers felt as if a track record was possible with NASCARs new Gen 6 car, even on Kentuckys bumpy surface. Anticipation grew even more with cooler-than-expected temperatures and intermittent clouds, and several drivers gave chase to Johnsons mark early in the session. Johnson, the series points leader, promptly raised the bar higher with a speed that seemed to put the pole and the record out of reach even with two-thirds of qualifying remaining. Newman gave chase and briefly had the second spot before settling for a solid berth in the field. "I feel good," said Johnson, who checked his No. 48 Chevy for damage after hitting one of the trucks bumps and going airborne. "I felt (turns) one and two went really well. (Turns) three and four, I thought maybe I could have been a little faster through there." Earnhardt, sixth after the final practice, soon grabbed his up-front view and the record as all the elements fell into place for his first pole since September at Richmond. "The cloud cover at least gave us a bit of speed," said Earnhardt, who joked that getting a haircut between practice and qualifying might have made him more aerodynamic as well. "Of course, cooler track temps gives the car more grip and we definitely had the better situation of anyone in practice with that scenario. "There were some clouds in the qualifying session, but not quite the extent that we had. I did think the lap was really good." Jeff Hornacek Jazz Jersey . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. Dante Exum Jazz Jersey . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. http://www.jazzauthentic.com/kids-tony-bradley-jazz-jersey/ . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. Karl Malone Jersey . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. John Stockton Jazz Jersey . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals.BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Chris Rolfe scored in the 84th minute to lift the Chicago Fire to a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday night. Patrick Nyarko and Dilly Duka also scored for the Fire (6-7-3). On the winning score, Rolfes second goal of the season came from about 8 yards out, set up by Mike Magees pass between two defenders. About 12 minutes earlier, an own goal by Chicagos Loel Lindperee had tied the score.dddddddddddd Alan Gordon put the Earthquakes (5-8-6) ahead in the 14th minute, beating Chicago goalkeeper Paolo Tornaghi on a header rebound after his first header caromed off the crossbar. Duka tied it on a volley from 12 yards out in the 36th minute and Nyarko made it 2-1 on a low drive from 9 yards out in the 47th. San Jose dropped to 2-5-1 in its last eight matches. ' ' '