KANSAS CITY, Kan., Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Points leader Mark Martin drove through high winds Friday to capture the pole for the Price Chopper 400, the third of 10 races to decide the Sprint Cup title.
Martin was clocked at 175.758 mph for a lap around the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway. It was his seventh pole of the season and the 48th of his Sprint Cup career.
Martin has a 10-point lead over three-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson in the "Chase for the Championship."
"Today was a tough day on my heart," Martin said. "That was such a stressful day and a very stressful lap. If my heart survives the next couple of years, I'm sure it will make it to 100."
Johnson and Martin finished 1-2 last week in Dover, Del., but after the race both teams were warned by NASCAR that their cars barely passed post-race inspection.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had the second-fastest qualifying lap Friday, followed by Brad Keselowski, Jamie McMurray and Tony Stewart.
Johnson will start 11th in the field of 43. Winds gusted to almost 40 miles per hour during qualifying.
