Flooding gives Marlin Pocono pole

LONG POND, Pa. -- Sterling Marlin got his first pole of the season without turning a wheel when ground water that accumulated over the last week caused cancellation of Friday's qualifying for the Pocono 500.

The 43-car field was set on the basis of Winston Cup points.

Many areas of the surface at the 2 1/2-mile Pocono International Raceway were wet from water seeping through the asphalt. Three inches of rain fell Thursday, bringing the total for the last week to 8.

All activities at the track were brought to a halt after the ARCA Series cars practiced in the morning. It was then that NASCAR noticed water on the track, preventing Winston Cup practice and qualifying.

The sanctioning body then had ditches dug at different spots around the track, but they immediately began filling with water. Now, NASCAR hopes continuing to work through the night will permit practice Saturday.

"They'll just keep digging trying to alleviate it," NASCAR spokeswoman Danielle Humphrey said. "They want to let the water come out someplace besides the track."

Marlin said the cancellation of practice and qualifying would have little affect on him other than winning the pole by default.

"The car was set up for qualifying," he said of his Dodge. "We'll just move some weight around."

Rookie Jimmie Johnson, denied a chance to win his fourth pole, will have the outside of the front row. Johnson, a winner last Sunday in Dover, Del., has the most poles and is tied with Marlin, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth for the most wins with two.

Perhaps the most fortunate of the drivers was Johnson's car owner, four-time series champion Jeff Gordon. He will start third for the second week in a row without taking a lap.

Last week, Gordon got to slide into that position when several drivers changed cars or engines and were forced to the rear of the field.

BUSCH SERIES: Greg Biffle followed up his first victory of the Busch season by winning the pole for the inaugural Inside Traxx 300. His qualifying time of 161.288 mph in 29.753 seconds put him on the front row for Saturday night's race at the Nashville Superspeedway near Gladeville, Tenn., where he earned his first career Busch win in April 2001.

TRACY APPEAL: The appeal of Team Green driver Paul Tracy's runner-up finish in the Indianapolis 500 will be heard by Indy Racing League president Tony George on June 17. George will hear evidence from Team Green and Penske Racing, whose driver, Helio Castroneves, was declared winner of the May 26 race. The hearing will be closed to the media and is expected to last only that day. A decision likely will be made within 30 days after that, the IRL said Friday.