Michigan NASCAR: Jeff Gordon on pole, Hendrick team-mates struggle

A week after taking his first 2014 pole at Watkins Glen, Gordon produced a record lap of 34.857 seconds and 206.558mph to top Michigan qualifying.

Gordon, who had also topped round two, was the only Hendrick driver to even reach the pole shootout.

While Kasey Kahne was a respectable 15th, the sister cars of Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jimmie Johnson were knocked out in part one.

The duo qualified only 25th and 30th, as Johnson - whose morning practice session had been disrupted by a vibration - continued his recent tough run.

Practice pacesetter Joey Logano was Gordon's nearest rival for Penske, 0.030s off pole and 0.045s ahead of third-placed Carl Edwards.

The Roush Fenway driver had led the first round of qualifying at a track where the team had floundered in June, and his team-mates Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Greg Biffle also made it to the shootout, taking 10th and 11th.

Brian Vickers put the only Toyota in the pole shootout fourth on the grid, followed by Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick.

Leading Toyota squad Joe Gibbs Racing was completely absent from the final segment, as its three cars ended up between 18th and 24th.

A week on from his Watkins Glen win, AJ Allmendinger qualified 22nd, while Tony Stewart's stand-in Jeff Burton was 27th for Stewart-Haas.

Two drivers qualified cars on behalf of absent colleagues.

Penske protege Ryan Blaney made an early start to his work with 2015 team Wood Brothers by qualifying Trevor Bayne's car while Bayne was busy on Nationwide Series duty at Mid-Ohio. Blaney took 28th.

Martin Truex Jr's absence was for more poignant reasons, as he missed Friday's sessions while his partner Sherry Pollex began cancer treatment.

Truck Series champion Matt Crafton qualified Truex's Furniture Row Chevrolet 39th. Truex will return for Saturday practice and Sunday's race.

Pos  Driver              Team/Car                 Time     Gap
 1.  Jeff Gordon         Hendrick Chevrolet       34.857s
 2.  Joey Logano         Penske Ford              34.887s  +0.030s
 3.  Carl Edwards        Roush Fenway Ford        34.932s  +0.075s
 4.  Brian Vickers       Waltrip Toyota           35.005s  +0.148s
 5.  Brad Keselowski     Penske Ford              35.012s  +0.155s
 6.  Kevin Harvick       Stewart-Haas Chevrolet   35.047s  +0.190s
 7.  Paul Menard         Childress Chevrolet      35.194s  +0.337s
 8.  Austin Dillon       Childress Chevrolet      35.214s  +0.357s
 9.  Jamie McMurray      Ganassi Chevrolet        35.233s  +0.376s
10.  Ricky Stenhouse Jr  Roush Fenway Ford        35.264s  +0.407s
11.  Greg Biffle         Roush Fenway Ford        35.325s  +0.468s
12.  Ryan Newman         Childress Chevrolet      35.386s  +0.529s
13.  Kyle Larson         Ganassi Chevrolet        35.280s  Round 2
14.  Danica Patrick      Stewart-Haas Chevrolet   35.292s  Round 2
15.  Kasey Kahne         Hendrick Chevrolet       35.304s  Round 2
16.  Kurt Busch          Stewart-Haas Chevrolet   35.319s  Round 2
17.  Justin Allgaier     HScott Chevrolet         35.376s  Round 2
18.  Matt Kenseth        Joe Gibbs Toyota         35.401s  Round 2
19.  Clint Bowyer        Waltrip Toyota           35.429s  Round 2
20.  Marcos Ambrose      Petty Ford               35.451s  Round 2
21.  Denny Hamlin        Joe Gibbs Toyota         35.463s  Round 2
22.  AJ Allmendinger     JTG Daugherty Chevrolet  35.513s  Round 2
23.  Aric Almirola       Petty Ford               35.525s  Round 2
24.  Kyle Busch          Joe Gibbs Toyota         35.649s  Round 2
25.  Dale Earnhardt Jr   Hendrick Chevrolet       35.488s  Round 1
26.  Casey Mears         Germain Chevrolet        35.563s  Round 1
27.  Jeff Burton         Stewart-Haas Chevrolet   35.571s  Round 1
28.  Ryan Blaney         Wood Brothers Ford       35.586s  Round 1
29.  David Gilliland     Front Row Ford           35.675s  Round 1
30.  Jimmie Johnson      Hendrick Chevrolet       35.693s  Round 1
31.  Ryan Truex          BK Toyota                35.774s  Round 1
32.  Alex Bowman         BK Toyota                35.911s  Round 1
33.  Josh Wise           Parsons Chevrolet        36.044s  Round 1
34.  David Ragan         Front Row Ford           36.084s  Round 1
35.  Michael Annett      Baldwin Chevrolet        36.140s  Round 1
36.  Cole Whitt          BK Toyota                36.157s  Round 1
37.  Dave Blaney         Baldwin Chevrolet        36.391s  Round 1
38.  Travis Kvapil       Go FAS Ford              36.414s  Round 1
39.  Matt Crafton        Furniture Row Chevrolet  36.462s  Round 1
40.  Reed Sorenson       Baldwin Chevrolet        36.536s  Round 1
41.  Alex Kennedy        Circle Sport Chevrolet   36.767s  Round 1
42.  Joe Nemechek        NEMCO Toyota             36.891s  Round 1
43.  Landon Cassill      Hillman Chevrolet        37.104s  Round 1