[jjones752]

Pole day was Sunday last year too; they qualified everyone on Saturday, then (if I remember correctly) everyone but the top nine went back out on Sunday to set positions 10-33 and they did the fast nine shootout for the pole to end the festivities.
I'm as big a traditionalist as anyone but I think that in this modern era with only one car in danger of being bumped that something needed to be done to keep the suspense level up. Last years' Fast Nine was pretty exciting, and made more so by saving it until the end.