BRISTOL, Tenn., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A brief thunderstorm halted qualifying and then Gordon won the pole when Mark Martin just missed taking away the top spot.
The defending champion, Gordon recorded an early lap of 127.597 miles per hour in his Chevrolet Monte Carlo, shattering the qualifying record of 125.477 mph Rusty Wallace set in 2000.
"The whole day has been really great for us, but I didn't think that was my best lap," Gordon said. "And when that rain came, I thought for sure somebody was going to beat us."
Martin nearly did, qualifying second in his Ford Taurus with a top speed of 127.588 mph. It marked only the fifth time he qualified in the top 10 this season.
Michael Waltrip qualified third in a Chevrolet, followed by Mike Skinner in a Pontiac Grand Prix, Kurt Busch in a Ford, Ryan Newman and Ted Musgrave in Dodge Intrepids.
