JOLIET, Ill., July 11 (UPI) -- Defending Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart claimed the pole Friday for Sunday's NASCAR Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.
Stewart drove his Chevrolet Monte Carlo at 184.786 miles per hour around the 1 1/2-mile oval. It was Stewart's seventh career pole in 158 Winston Cup starts but his first in 33 races since last year's Brickyard 400.
Stewart's lap shattered Todd Bodine's track record of 183.713 mph in 2001. The top five qualifiers all broke Bodine's previous record.
Qualifying was delayed by a heavy rainstorm.
Jeff Gordon qualified second at 184.445 mph in a Chevrolet, followed by Bill Elliott's 184.401 mph to lead a trio of Dodges in the top five. Rookie Casey Mears was fourth at 184.263 mph followed by Elliott's teammate, Jeremy Mayfield, who turned a lap at 183.892 mph.
