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AVONDALE, Arizona - Four-time series champion Jeff
Gordon will be on the pole for Saturday night's NASCAR Nextel
Cup Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. On Friday, Gordon won his 53rd career pole but his first this
season and first here, where he is looking for his 72nd career
win. Driving a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Gordon clocked 133.675 miles
per hour around the one-mile speedway. By starting up front for Saturday's race that begins during the
day but ends at night, the four-time series champion has
confidence in scoring a win. Ryan Newman, who had won the previous three poles here and a
circuit-high three poles in 2005, lost control of his Dodge
Charger when it broke loose in the second turn and began to
slide. His lap of 132.915 mph was only good enough for seventh. Joining Gordon in the front row will be defending series
champion Kurt Busch, who recorded a lap 133.254 mph in a Ford
Taurus. Busch was so sore from a crash in last week's IROC race
that he had Rickey Craven stand by in his pit as a possible
relief driver in last Sunday's NASCAR race. Busch' teammate Greg Biffle, who led a career-high 219 laps en
route to his second checkered flag of the year last week, will
start third in a Ford Taurus. He will be joined in the second
row by Bobby Labonte's Chevrolet. Labonte, who is 37th in
points, was forced to make the field on his time. Series points leader Jimmie Johnson, who has run in the top 10
in 13 straight events dating to last year, will start 12th in a
Chevrolet. Johnson has two top-10s in three career starts here,
including a second in 2003 after qualifying third. This is an inaugural event on the Nextel Cup schedule, but Dale
Earnhardt Jr. has won the last two fall races here. Earnhardt
will start 15th in a Chevy.
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