The Associated Press

SONOMA, Calif. - "Hired gun" Boris Said was living his dream Friday, winning the pole for the Dodge/Save Mart 350.

Said, one of five road-racing specialists brought in by Winston Cup teams for Sunday's race at Infineon Raceway - one of only two road courses on the circuit - celebrated after setting a track record on the 1.949-mile, 11-turn course.

"Never would I have thought in my wildest dreams I'd win one of these poles," he said after high-fiving every member of his crew and hugging several of them. "The (Cup) regulars usually come up big at the end."

Said, a BMW M3 sports car driver in the SCCA Pro Racing Speed GT Championship, is filling in for Jerry Nadeau, who is recovering from injuries after an April crash.

Said's lap of 93.620 mph was easily good enough to knock Robby Gordon's 93.262 off the top spot and break Tony Stewart's track qualifying record of 93.476, set last year.

Gordon, a Cup regular for Richard Childress Racing who finished second here in 2001, will start the race with another of the "hired guns" close behind his Chevrolet. Canadian Ron Fellows was on top of the qualifying with a lap of 93.073 until Gordon took his turn.

"I think they shouldn't be here, because I'd have been on the pole by five-tenths (of a second) if they weren't," Gordon joked.

This will be Said's seventh Winston Cup road race since 1999. His best previous qualifying effort was in Watkins Glen, N.Y., that first year when he started second. Said's best finish was eighth in 2001 at the New York track. His best finish here was 11th, also in 2001.

This is going to be a busy weekend for Said, who also will also race in today's Southwest Tour stock car race and the Trans-Am race that will follow the Cup event Sunday.

"I'm going to qualify my Southwest Tour car now and then practice in my Trans-Am car," he said.

Series leader Matt Kenseth and Roush Racing teammate Kurt Busch, coming off a victory Sunday in Michigan, ran laps of 92.879. Kenseth will start fourth by virtue of being higher in the standings.

Kevin Harvick, Gordon's RCR teammate, was next 92.840, followed by Rusty Wallace at 92.822 and three-time Infineon winner Jeff Gordon at 92.800.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., second in the series standings, was 11th at 92.541.

COSTLY ERRORS: Broken cars and driver miscues during practice sent home one driver and forced another to the back of the field.

Ricky Craven was plagued by a bad engine bearing that forced his crew to change it. Then it blew up on his qualifying lap and he used a provisional to make the field.

Paul Menard, trying for his first Cup start, was forced to his backup car after hitting a barrier on the backstretch, then failed to qualify.

SPARK PLUGS: Nine drivers have competed in all 14 Winston Cup races here; Michael Waltrip is the only one to finish all 14. ... Last year's winner, Ricky Rudd, leads all drivers with nine top-five finishes here; he also won the race in 1989. Ernie Irvan is one of three drivers to win at Infineon from the pole, doing it in 1994. Mark Martin did it in 1997 and Jeff Gordon the next two years.

CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS: A lack of sponsorship didn't hurt Jon Wood's effort, and he won his first career pole Friday at Memphis Motorsports Park. The best previous qualifying result for Wood was a fourth-place start last month at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Winston Cup points

1. Matt Kenseth	2,275
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.	2,090
3. Jeff Gordon	2,052
4. Bobby Labonte	1,998
5. Kurt Busch	1,933

•There are 21 races left this season.