The Associated Press

LAS VEGAS - A week off hasn't cooled Kasey Kahne. The 23-year-old rookie, who missed winning the Feb. 22 race at Rockingham by inches, grabbed his first NASCAR Nextel Cup pole Friday in a record-smashing qualifying session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"I messed the first lap up a little bit, but I got it straightened out," said Kahne, who watched nervously from the top of his team's transporter until Kurt Busch, the last of 44 drivers to making qualifying runs, came up just short.

Kahne, driving a Dodge for Evernham Motorsports in his third Cup start, turned a lap of 174.904 mph, leading 15 drivers who surpassed the previous track qualifying record of 173.016, set last year by Bobby Labonte.

Kahne was asked if his first pole was more exciting than nearly beating defending series champion Matt Kenseth at Rockingham.

"Rockingham was a lot of fun," he said. "But that was two weeks ago and this is now."

Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 is expected to be a big test for NASCAR's new combination of a shortened rear spoiler and softer tires - both intended to make racing on intermediate tracks such as this 1 1/2-mile oval more exciting.

The 25-year-old Busch, driving a Roush Racing Ford, had a lap of 174.548 - 0.063-seconds slower than that of Kahne. That shoved 20-year-old Brian Vickers, another rookie in his third start, to the second row.

"When we came here to test in January, this car was going to be our 'B' car," Busch said. "But we kept polishing on it and it just kept getting better."

Vickers, last year's Busch series champion, turned a lap of 174.537 in a Hendrick Chevrolet.

Jamie McMurray, 27, last year's top rookie, was fourth in a Dodge at 174.436, followed by the Intrepid of 2002's leading rookie, Ryan Newman, at 174.340.

Busch's 18-year-old brother, Kyle, also impressed, qualifying 18th in his first-ever Cup start with a lap of 172.955.

BUSCH SERIES: Mike Bliss led a record-breaking qualifying session and will start today's Sam's Town 300 from the first position at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Bliss, in a Chevrolet, earned his first pole in 44 Busch starts with a lap of 171.238 mph. The top 11 drivers surpassed the series track record of 169.385, set in 2001 on the 1 1/2-mile oval by Matt Kenseth.

FORMULA ONE: Michael Schumacher made a flying start to the 2004 season, setting a lap record around the Albert Park circuit at Melbourne, Australia, Friday in practice for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

Driving the new generation F2004 - Ferrari's 50th F1 car - the six-time series champion's best lap was 1 minute, 24.718 seconds, faster than the time he set to take pole position in Melbourne last season.

Teammate Rubens Barrichello was second, a tenth of a second behind on the street circuit.

"... That's the best Ferrari I've ever driven," Barrichello said.

UNSER DIES: Louie Unser, who served as chief mechanic for brothers Jerry and Al during their debuts at the Indianapolis 500, is dead at 71. He had been suffering from multiple sclerosis.

This weekend

NASCAR NEXTEL CUP

UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400

Site: Las Vegas.

Schedule: Sunday, race (3 p.m., Ch. 19, 45).

Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (tri-oval 1.5 miles, 12 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 400 miles, 267 laps.

Last race: Defending champion Matt Kenseth nipped rookie Kasey Kahne at the finish line to win the Subway 400 at North Carolina Speedway. Although Kenseth led the point standings for a record 33 straight weeks last season, he had just one victory and only led 354 laps.

Next race: Golden Corral 500, March 14, Hampton, Ga.

BUSCH SERIES

Sam's Town 300

Site: Las Vegas.

Schedule: Today, race (FX, 4 p.m.).

Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (tri-oval 1.5 miles, 12 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.

Last race: Jamie McMurray won his fourth consecutive Busch series race at North Carolina Speedway, passing Kevin Harvick with 20 laps to go when Harvick got tied up with Robby Gordon. McMurray is within one win of the Busch record of five consecutive victories at any track, held by Dale Earnhardt at Daytona and Jack Ingram at South Boston.

Next race: Darlingtonraceway.com 200, March 20, Darlington, S.C.

FORMULA ONE

Australian Grand Prix

Site: Melbourne.

Schedule: Today, race (SPEED Channel, 9:30 p.m.).

Track: Albert Park Circuit (3.28 miles).

Last year: David Coulthard won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after outlasting the favored Ferrari duo of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello. Schumacher finished fourth, ending his streak of consecutive podium appearances at 19.

Next race: Malaysian Grand Prix, March 21, Kuala Lumpur.

INDY RACING LEAGUE

Next race: Indy 200 Classic, March 21, Avondale, Ariz.