Tide turns for Craven at Rockingham.

One week ago, Ricky Craven started 43rd and last for the NASCAR Winston Cup season opener at Daytona in his No.32 Tide sponsored PPI Motorsports Ford Taurus. On Sunday he will roll off from pole position as he blitzed the field in Friday's Bud Pole Qualifying session at the North Carolina Speedway.

After gaining his, and Cal Wells' maiden NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory last season, Ricky Craven began 2002 as one driver tipped for a 'breakout' year and after a substandard Speedweeks at the Daytona International Speedway, the former Hendrick Motorsports driver sprung into life at Rockingham with a resounding pole position.

Craven gained his fifth career Bud Pole award and his second for PPI Motorsports with a stunning two lap qualifying run at the 1.014-mile North Carolina Speedway ahead of Sunday's Subway 400. Stopping the clocks with a best time of 23.468 seconds, Craven was a full two tenths of a second quicker than any other driver as he sat on the pole throughout the majority of Friday's Bud Pole session.

After rolling off the qualifying line fifth of 46 cars, Craven bettered his second place starting position for last November's Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 but whereas most would expect a tense wait as car after car took a pop at the top time, Craven an Co. were almost relaxed such was the New Englander's pace.

Ken Schrader, who won pole position at Rockingham as long ago as 1990, came closest to the No.32 machine but his best time was a mere 23.667 seconds in the best of the outnumbered Pontiac brigade. The No.36 M&M's sponsored machine will start alongside Craven on the front row.

Still searching for his first NASCAR Winston Cup victory, Johnny Benson's strong Rockingham form continued as he posted third fastest time; matching his third place finish at North Carolina Speedway last November while Dale Jarrett, winner of the 2000 autumn race, will start fourth.

Jerry Nadeau, another driver with strong Rockingham form, completes the top five in the fastest Chevrolet while Sterling Marlin leads the Dodge Intrepid contingent in sixth.

After taking the fastest four times in practice on Friday morning, sixth quickest was a disappointment for the Dodge quarter of the Winston Cup field with practice leader Jeremy Mayfield only managing 21st fastest time.

Rounding out the top ten in what appears to be a far more even playing field than Daytona are Kurt Busch, five time Rockingham winner Rusty Wallace, 2001 Pop Secret 400 pole winner and runner-up finisher Kenny Wallace and the leading Andy Petree Chevrolet of Bobby Hamilton.

Daytona 500 pole sitter Jimmie Johnson managed to continue his 100 per cent qualifying record against teammate and team-owner Jeff Gordon with eleventh fastest time while Gordon could only manage 33rd quickest spot in his No.24 DuPont Chevrolet. Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton was ninth fastest in practice but faded to 18th in qualifying, one place ahead of Tony Stewart.

Several drivers with a proven track record at NCS failed to find their form in qualifying with three time Rockingham winners Bill Elliott and Kyle Petty only 28th and 32nd, Gordon, with four NCS wins to his credit 33rd and Joe Nemechek 37th. Nemechek won last November's Pop Secret 400 with Andy Petree's No.33 team but the now-unsponsored unit couldn't match that result in qualifying as Mike Wallace struggled to 30th quickest.

Four drivers will make their first NWC start of the year after missing the cut at Daytona with Jimmy Spencer cementing his first start for Chip Ganassi with 12th fastest, one place ahead of Buckshot Jones in the leading Petty Enterprises machine. Hut Stricklin and Rick Mast both had to resort to Provisionals to book their place in the field but both will give the No.23 and No.90 teams their first start of the year.

Unlike Daytona there were no surprises in qualifying with rank outsiders Dick Trickle, Randy Renfrew and Carl Long all failing to make the cut. Trickle narrowly missed out in the No.71 Chevrolet owned by Dave Marcis while Renfrew's debut with Price Motorsports was shorter than both he and the team would have hoped. Long meanwhile chose the wrong weekend to move away from Dodge as his Mansion Motorsports Ford ended qualifying slowest of all.