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Vickers takes pole after strange day of qualifying
NASCAR Talladega 500  Heal
Brian Vickers climbs out of his car after winning the pole for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint race at Talladega Superspeedway Saturday, in Talladega, Ala. - photo by Associated Press
TALLADEGA, Ala. — NASCAR's new qualifying format put Brian Vickers on the pole at Talladega Superspeedway but left many drivers angry and confused, and three full-time teams failed to make Sunday's race. Kevin Harvick called the format "the dumbest thing I've ever seen in my life," and Kyle Busch said heat races should be used to set the field at superspeedways. Dale Earnhardt Jr. called for a return to single-car qualifying at Daytona and Talladega instead of the group formats, and Jeff Gordon tweeted, "Wow never been so frustrated & confused trying to qualify for a race.