JOLIET, Ill., July 9 (UPI) -- Four-time NASCAR series champion Jeff Gordon won his fourth straight Nextel Cup pole Friday, grabbing the top spot for Sunday's Tropicana 400.
The last driver to win four straight poles was Bill Elliott in the summer of 1985.
"I've had some good streaks in the past, but this one is pretty amazing right now," Gordon said. "At this time last year, they were trying to figure out when I was going to win a race. Now, I've won four poles in a row. I want to maintain this streak as long as I can."
Gordon's Chevrolet Monte Carlo paced the field with a record lap of 186.942 miles per hour around the 1 1/2-mile Chicagoland Speedway. That knocked rookie Dodge Intrepid driver Kasey Kahne off the pole after he drove a lap at 186.871 mph.
Gordon's teammate, Jimmie Johnson, was third at 186.290 mph followed by another Hendrick Motorsports driver, rookie Brian Vickers.
