Qualifying: Gordon sets the pace

Jeff Gordon, lost in the shadows through much of 2002, took the pole for the Food City 500 at Bristol's Motor Speedway in a session delayed for two hours because of rain

Aug 24, 2002, 10:13 AM

Gordon, who has won three poles this year, all on half-mile ovals, covered the better of his two laps in 15.470sec (124.034mph), well short of Steve Park's track record. Gordon edged Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 0.012sec in a close session, with less than 0.1sec dividing the top 16.

Gordon has not won since the inaugural race at Kansas City last autumn and has a career-longest 30-race losing streak. His best finishes this season were seconds at Texas and Joliet, Ill.

He also took the pole for the spring race here but this is his best starting position since a third at Daytona six weeks ago.

Michael Waltrip was third, with Rusty Wallace fourth and Bill Elliott fifth.

A surplus of drivers tried to make the field, but Hermie Sadler, Carl Long, Morgan Shepherd, and Tim Sauter failed to make the cut.