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In all, 10 drivers were faster than the previous track record, set by Jeff Gordon in 1999.
Starting alongside will be Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet with a lap of 127.129 mph. The rest of the top five included Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Steve Park. The next five in line were Kyle Petty, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Rusty Wallace and Ricky Craven.
“The track lost a little grip from the earlier practice, but it was good enough to get the job done,” said Burton, a native of nearby South Boston, Va. “We brought a brand-new car here. Actually, it’s the first short track, in-house car we built from bottom to top. It was their effort in the car that gave me that allowed me to get the pole.
After posting his lap, Burton had to wait out Stewart, fastest in the early practice, who was next-to-last in the qualifying order.
Burton --- who won the Daytona 500 earlier this year --- knows he's only halfway to his goal for the weekend.
“I’m really excited about winning the pole, but I’m already starting to focus on getting in that car," he said. "Tomorrow night is obviously more important than today.
"Today is fabulous for my family and my race team. To do this here, where a lot of my friends and family come from and where my roots are held very dear, is very special.”
The only driver not to make the race was Kevin Grubb, making his first Winston Cup Series attempt this year in the No. 54 Chevrolet.
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