NASCAR racing Ex-Champ Car star Patrick Carpentier surprised a lot of people on pit road by winning his first career pole for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Carpentier drove his Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge to his first pole in his 17th Sprint Cup start and will lead the field to the green in Sunday's 17th race of the 2008 season.

The qualifying sessions was halted for about a 90-minute rain delay after only 24 cars took laps. Once the skies cleared and the track dried, the rest of the field took their laps with Carpentier turning his surprising lap of 129.776 mph.

Bobby Labonte made it an all-Dodge front row by putting the Petty Enterprises No. 43 entry outside the front row.

Kevin Harvick, Scott Riggs and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. rounded out the top five.

Reed Sorenson, Dario Franchitti, Martin Truex, Jr., Matt Kenseth and A.J. Allmendinger completed the first 10 qualifiers.