Jeff Gordon had to rely on owner points to get his 41st starting position. Credit: Autostock

Kahne, Gordon tale of two Chasers in quals

CONCORD, N.C. -- When the lights come on at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Kasey Kahne does too.

Unfortunately for Kahne, teammate Scott Riggs lit up the night with just eight cars left in line behind him and knocked him off the Bud Pole.

Kasey Kahne almost had his sixth pole of the season. Credit: Autostock

Bank of America 500 Lineup Pos. Driver Speed Time 1. S. Riggs 191.469 28.203 2. K. Kahne 190.194 28.392 3. C. Mears 189.613 28.479 4. E. Sadler 189.023 28.568 5. K. Harvick 188.739 28.611 6. J. Burton 188.574 28.636 7. M. Martin 188.574 28.636 8. C. Bowyer 188.482 28.650 9. Sorenson 188.239 28.687 10. J. Johnson 188.193 28.694 • Complete lineup, click here Pole winnerScott Riggs wins pole for Saturday, Dale Jr. qualifies in 16th Fast timesJeff Burton and Matt Kenseth both look strong at Lowe's quals Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Kahne led practice for the Bank of America 500 at better than 187 mph. Then he went out and put his Dodge up front with a lap at 28.382 seconds, 190.194 mph.

Riggs beat Kahne by more than a tenth of a second and 1.3 mph to sweep the pole positions at Lowe's for 2006. Riggs won the pole for the Nextel Open, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Bank of America 500.

Kahne's career numbers are pretty good at Lowe's, with a 13.4 average start and an 18.8 average finish, and he's led 416 laps in just five starts here. And, of course, he won here in May.

Kahne, the lone Dodge in the Chase, was the second Charger in line as Dodge swept the top five spots in qualifying Thursday night. Kurt Busch's third-place run was disqualified, however, because of a shock that did not conform to NASCAR rules.

One driver for whom the lights did not shine quite so brightly was four-time series champion Jeff Gordon.

Gordon, who owned Lowe's Motor Speedway before Jimmie Johnson took it over, posted a lap at 29.492 seconds, 183.101 mph, which put him in real estate he has never even come close to visiting at the 1.5-mile track.

Gordon was way too loose during his run, and it showed, as his time was 47th-fastest among the 51 cars that took time. Gordon was the 46th car out on the track, and traditionally, the temperature-sensitive surface at Lowe's gets better as it gets cooler.

The worst Gordon had ever started at Lowe's was 26th, back in the fall of 1998. On Saturday, he'll line up 41st after Busch was dropped to the back. Gordon's average start in 27 trips to Lowe's was a miniscule 8.037. His finishing position is a sixth-best 16.222, and he'll have to better that by a bunch to have a shot at the title.

Behind Kahne, the next Chaser in line was Kevin Harvick, who was also the first Chevy. Harvick has never set the world on fire at Lowe's, averaging a sixth-best 18.636 for a starting position and 20.363 for a finish -- ninth among the Chasers. However, his lap at 28.611 seconds, 188.739 mph warmed up a cool night. The run, which came late in the session, put him fifth on the grid.

Chase point leader Jeff Burton was close behind in sixth after a lap at 28.636 seconds, 188.574 mph. Burton was 20th in practice, and his qualifying time was nine-tenths of a second quicker than his best in practice. Burton traditionally doesn't qualify well at Lowe's, averaging just 24.12 (worst among the Chasers), but his finishing average of 15.8 is fourth-best.

Bank of America 500 Chase qualifiers Pos. Driver Speed Time 2. K. Kahne 190.194 28.392 5. K. Harvick 188.739 28.611 6. J. Burton 188.574 28.636 7. M. Martin 188.574 28.636 10. J. Johnson 188.193 28.694 11. M. Kenseth 187.846 28.747 16. Earnhardt 187.487 28.802 18. Ky. Busch 187.285 28.833 22. D. Hamlin 187.065 28.867 41. J. Gordon 183.100 29.492 BUSCH FAILS INSPECTION CONCORD, N.C. -- Kurt Busch's qualifying time for Saturday night's Bank of America 500 was disallowed following post-qualifying inspection on Thursday, and as a result he will start 42nd instead of third.  "The No. 2 car did not pass inspection," said NASCAR vice president of corporate communications Jim Hunter. "The right-rear shock absorber did not conform to NASCAR specifications. He will be required to start from the rear of the field on Saturday."  Hunter also said that Busch could face additional penalties next week.  Busch's disqualification moves nearly the entire field up a spot, and 1996 series champion Terry Labonte will still start 43rd after using the past champion's provisional.  -- Ron Lemasters Jr.

Mark Martin has won four times at Lowe's, finished in the top five a whopping 17 times and in the top 10 an amazing 21 times in 43 starts. He qualifies well here, too, averaging a third-best 11.093. His finishing average of 15.883 is fifth out of 10 Chasers.

His lap at 28.636 seconds, 188.574 mph, tied Burton for sixth-fastest, but Burton got the spot based on points. Martin will start seventh on Saturday, his final start at Lowe's for Roush Racing.

Johnson, who owns the best starting average (8.0) and finishing average (6.2) in the Chase, popped a lap at 28.694 seconds, 188.193 mph, barely snagged a top-10 spot for Saturday.

Seventy-two of the 93 races run at Lowe's (77.4 percent) have been won from the top 10 starting spots.

Johnson has owned Lowe's Motor Speedway, winning half his 10 starts, with seven top-fives and an astounding nine top-10 finishes.

Matt Kenseth (28.747, 187.746 mph) is another driver that doesn't qualify well here (22.928 average start), but always seems to be around the lead when the checkered waves. His average finish of 14.857 is the third-best of the Chase drivers. His time was good for 11th on the grid.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. got around the speedway in 28.202 seconds at 187.487 mph, good for 16th on the grid. Junior's average start is a middle-of-the-road 15.428, and his finishing position is a seventh-best 18.357. After last week, he'll have to roll top-fives and top-10s to have a shot at the title.

Kyle Busch was close behind Earnhardt, running a lap at 28.833 seconds, 187.285 mph to slide into 18th spot. Busch does his best work at Lowe's in qualifying, averaging 22.4 per start, but his finishing average of 33.600 is by far the worst among the Chasers -- to the tune of more than 12 spots.

Rookie Denny Hamlin has never finished out of the top 10 in his two Lowe's starts, finishing eighth and ninth. His lap at 28.867 seconds, 187.065 mph, was 22nd on the grid, which is right behind his ninth-best starting average of 23.5.

Dodge stole all the thunder on Thursday night, with Kahne's outside-front-row run. Chevrolets ranked fifth, sixth, 10th, 16th, 18th, 22nd and 41st. Fords were seventh and 11th.