Track-record run gives Jeff Gordon pole position at Richmond
Sept. 6, 2013
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
RICHMOND,
Va.--Whether or not Jeff Gordon can find another "Hail Mary" in his No.
24 Chevrolet, he’s off to the sort of start he needs
to secure a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Gordon,
however, didn’t put much distance between himself and his chief rival
for one of the five remaining berths in NASCAR’s 10-race
playoff. Kurt Busch qualified second and will take the green flag in
Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 from the outside of the front
row.
The 33rd driver to make a qualifying attempt, as the shadows on the .75-mile track were starting to lengthen, Gordon circled
the speedway in a track-record 20.674 seconds (130.599 mph), dislodging Busch from the top spot.
The
driver of the No. 78 Chevrolet, who went out fifth under benefit of
cloud cover, had matched the mark of 130.334 mph Matt Kenseth
had set in April 2013.
Reigning
series champion Brad Keselowski, in desperate need of a victory to keep
his waning Chase hopes alive, qualified third at 130.158
mph. Clint Bowyer (130.020 mph) was fourth fastest, followed by Kenseth
(129.864 mph).
The Coors Light pole award was Gordon’s first of the season, his sixth at Richmond and the 73rd
of his career--third on the
all-time list. Gordon’s qualifying run gave him at least one pole in 21
consecutive seasons, breaking a record he shared with NASCAR Hall of
Famer David Pearson.
Gordon,
who rallied from a lap down to edge Kyle Busch for the final Chase spot
in last year’s regular-season finale at Richmond, is
one of seven drivers who can secure a Chase spot with a victory. Busch
can do the same.
"It’s
not very often you get to break a record David Pearson set, so that’s
really incredible," Gordon said. "I’m pretty overwhelmed
and blown away by that record itself and being able to accomplish that.
I didn’t think it was going to happen this year. We just have not been
qualifying well…
"The
car was just driving well, and when I saw Kurt put that good lap up at
the beginning, and then I saw that cloud go away, I was
a little bit nervous whether we had enough. But on the first lap, the
car stuck good, and I knew that I had a little bit more in me for the
second lap, and it did all the things I wanted it to."
The timing couldn’t have been better for Gordon, who is 11th in the Cup standings without a win this season and trails Busch
in 10th by six points.
"That’s
huge, to be able to do that at a crucial time, get that No. 1 pit stall
(closest to the exit from pit road) and set ourselves
up to do what we’re going to have to do here (Saturday)," Gordon said.
"It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be a hard fight, and I think we
just got that little bit of confidence boost that we need."
Adjustments
to his car after practice helped Busch secure his eighth front-row
starting position of the season, only one of which was
a pole.
"We
made a lot of changes, and it turned out to be a great lap," Busch
said. "I didn’t know if it would stick for the pole or not, and
we ended up outside pole… It’s cool that we’re on the front row and
hanging out up front with Gordon."
If
Gordon and Busch will battle for a Chase spot, so will Martin Truex Jr.
and Ryan Newman, who currently are in a heated struggle for
the final wild card position. Truex holds the edge in the matchup by
five points and backed that up with an 11th-place run in time trials. Newman qualified 24th.
Other
drivers fighting for the remaining five Chase berths claimed the
following starting spots: Jamie McMurray, seventh; Joey Logano,
eighth; Greg Biffle, ninth; and Dale Earnhardt Jr., 14th. Earnhardt can
lock up a Chase spot with a finish of 32nd or better without leading a lap.
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