HAMPTON, GA. ? Series leader Tony Stewart will start from the pole in the NAPA 500, thanks to a rainout of the first-ever night qualifying for the Winston Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Intermittent rain let up enough in the late afternoon Friday to allow the Winston Cup cars to get in a practice session on the 1.54-mile quad-oval. A mist then began as darkness fell, turning into a drizzle and washing out qualifying for the third time in four races and the fifth time this season.

NASCAR will line the cars up for Sunday’s race by car owner points, putting Stewart at the front of the 43-car field, with his four closest challengers in the tight championship chase Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman close to the rear bumper of his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac.

With only an 82-point lead over Johnson and just 177 points separating the top five with four races remaining, Stewart isn’t buying the talk that he has the championship wrapped up.

“No, we’re basically taking the approach that got us here, and that’s just to try to win each race,” he said. “We’re basically taking the attitude that the reason we got here is because we raced hard each week, and that’s what’s going to carry us the rest of the way, hopefully.”

Bill Elliott, the local favorite from Dawsonville, Ga., who will start in 11th, was fast in the practice, turning a lap of 190.955 mph in a Dodge.