Fri Mar 7 20:43:43 2008

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Gordon's 'evil' car still wins pole in Atlanta

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Hampton, GA (Sports Network) - Despite a lack of grip, Jeff Gordon still managed to win the pole for Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The No.24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver circled the fast 1.54-mile speedway in 29.927 seconds (185.251 m.p.h.).

The pole victory was Gordon's first of the season and 64th of his Sprint Cup career. He is just six pole wins behind Cale Yarborough for third all-time.

"I gotta tell you this thing is evil...It is so evil...tonight we have grip in the track, so you can get around some of that," said Gordon. "It feels like you are on 20-lap old tires. It's going to be a handful (on Sunday)."

Starting alongside Gordon will be teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who posted a second-best time of 29.990 seconds.

Martin Truex Jr. (30.162) and last week's winner Carl Edwards (30.246) will make up row two.

Other drivers of interest and their starting positions: Bobby Labonte (fifth), Kyle Busch (sixth), Kevin Harvick (eighth), Kasey Kahne (ninth), Jimmie Johnson (11th), Ryan Newman (12th), Juan Pablo Montoya (19th) and Tony Stewart (32nd).

The reason people flock to the Atlanta Motor Speedway is for the close racing and more specifically the close finishes.

Who could possibly forget the 2005 finish when Edwards edged out Johnson on the last lap to beat him by 0.028 seconds? Or 2001 when a young Harvick barely beat Gordon in a photo finish by 0.006 seconds (fourth closest in history)? Or Dale Earnhardt's 0.010-second win over Bobby Labonte in 2000?

Last year, Johnson squeezed by Stewart with two laps to go and went on to win the Kobalt Tools 500.

Johnson was more than a second behind Stewart when a debris caution with 16 laps to go set up the final run to the finish. The leaders came in for fresh rubber and a splash of fuel to guarantee they could reach the finish. Stewart won the race off pit road with Matt Kenseth, Johnson and Montoya just behind.

Stewart got a great jump and left a lapped car between himself and second place. But Johnson got around both Kenseth and the lapped car and still had eight laps to run down the leader.

Johnson was driving at the bottom of the track and closing on Stewart. Six laps to go and he was just two lengths back. They were side-by-side with five to go, but Stewart fought him off. Johnson tried it again on lap 323 (of 325) and squeezed Stewart into the wall ever so slightly. Stewart regained control, but he lost all his momentum.

Johnson took off and Stewart, now with a damaged right-side fender, settled into the second spot. He had nothing for Johnson. The two-time defending series champion took the checkered flag without challenge.

On Sunday the green flag is scheduled to drop at 2 p.m. (et).