Qualifying: Gordon on pole

Due in part to cool, cloudy conditions (with intermittent light showers), improved brakes and a grippy Goodyear tyre set, 18 of the 47 qualifiers surpassed the two-year-old track record 1m11.884s, set by Dale Jarrett.

Gordon knocked rookie Greg Biffle off the top spot, with Biffle running 1m10.845s. Biffle had replaced Dale Earnhardt Jr. as leader, Earnhardt having been fastest in practice.

Mark Martin was third followed by Tony Stewart and Rusty Wallace, Earnhardt was sixth.

Among the road specialists, Boris Said, pole-winner at Sonoma in June, was 10th. Ron Fellows, in DEI's Pennzoil car, was 18th. Scott Pruett, in a fourth Ganassi car, was 28th, and road racers Johnny Miller and P.J. Jones put their hapless Morgan-McClure cars in the field.

Christian Fittipaldi took the 36th position, the last awarded according to time. Provisionals went to Sterling Marlin, Ricky Craven, Jimmy Spencer, Jeremy Mayfield, Steve Park, Tony Raines and Paul Menard, driving an Andy Petree car.

Gordon won his second pole of the year, the first coming at Martinsville. He has won four times at this track, the last in 2001.