Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson posted top-10 qualifying laps at Martinsville. Credit: Autostock

Gordon leads Chasers at Martinsville qualifying

Gee, what a surprise.

Jeff Gordon qualified best among the 10 Chasers on Friday at Martinsville Speedway.

The seven-time winner at the tiny .526-mile oval in the Virginia countryside posted a 19.446-second, 97.377 mph lap to land on the outside of the front row.

Denny Hamlin's only DNF this season came at Martinsville. Credit: Autostock

Subway 500 Chase qualifiers Pos. Driver Speed Time 2. J. Gordon 97.377 19.446 3. D. Hamlin 97.187 19.484 7. Dale Jr. 96.775 19.567 9. J. Johnson 96.460 19.631 12. K. Harvick 96.317 19.660 15. Ky. Busch 96.171 19.690 20. M. Kenseth 95.942 19.737 25. M. Martin 95.752 19.776 28. J. Burton 95.651 19.797 32. K. Kahne 95.396 19.850 • Complete lineup, click here Strong runsChase points leaders qualify well at Martinsville Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Despite the fact that non-Chaser Tony Stewart has the best driver rating at Martinsville (136.3) during the past two seasons, Gordon has won two of the last three races and didn't put anyone in the mind that he would be anything less than the favorite this weekend.

Gordon's starting average of 7.333 in 27 starts is the best of the Chasers, and his finishing average of 7.629 is likewise tops among the Chasers.

Rookie Denny Hamlin was a tick behind Gordon, lining up third with a lap of 19.484 seconds, 97.187 mph. Hamlin has just two starts at Martinsville, though he is a native Virginian, and one of those starts ended in an eighth-place finish. His averages are 23.000 (start) and 22.500 (finish).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. went out late and logged in seventh with a lap at 19.567, 96.775 mph. Earnhardt has run well at Martinsville, with six top-five finishes in 13 starts, and he usually qualifies well, too, averaging a second-best 12.769. He finishes at a 14.384 clip, fifth of the Chasers.

Jimmie Johnson, whose finishing average trails teammate and mentor Gordon by a scant .259 (7.888), posted the ninth-fastest time at 19.631 seconds, 96.460 mph. Johnson will improve his average start of 13.888 with his effort.

Kevin Harvick was 42nd at the end of his first lap of qualifying, but ripped off a circuit at 19.660 seconds, 96.317 mph to land 12th on the grid. That's better than his 18.100 average, sixth among Chasers. His finishing average -- he has three top-10s in 10 starts -- is ninth of 10 at 19.100.

Kyle Busch has two top-10 finishes at Martinsville in three starts, but his qualifying has been suspect. He averages 20.333 per start, seventh of the Chasers, and his lap at 19.690 seconds, 96.171 mph was good for 15th. His finishing average of 17.666 is eighth among Chasers.

Matt Kenseth was 47th in practice leading up to qualifying, but figured something out in time to qualify. His lap of 19.737 seconds, 95.942 mph put him 20th in the 43-car field. Kenseth never qualified well at Martinsville, averaging 24.538 (ninth among Chasers), but his finishes have always been better. His average of 17.230 is good for sixth among the top 10 drivers.

Chase Standings After five races Pos. +/- Driver Behind 1. -- Jeff Burton Leader 2. -- Matt Kenseth -45 3. +1 Kevin Harvick -89 4. -1 Mark Martin -102 5. +1 D. Earnhardt Jr. -106 6. -1 Denny Hamlin -137 7. +1 Jimmie Johnson -146 8. +1 Kasey Kahne -160 9. +1 Kyle Busch -195 10. -3 Jeff Gordon -216 • Complete standings, click here SUPERSTORE •   2006 Chase driver hats!

Mark Martin did his Roush Racing teammate one better in practice, crashing his primary car and having to pull out the backup. He managed a lap at 19.776 seconds, 95.752 mph, good for 25th on the grid.

Martin is good in both starting and finishing averages at Martinsville, ranking third in both categories among the Chasers. He has finished in the top 10 in 21 of his 41 previous starts there.

Point leader Jeff Burton, another Virginian, was 28th at 19.797 seconds, 95.651 mph. That's well below his average of 16.916 (sixth) and jeopardizes his finishing average of 14.291 (fourth) in 24 starts. Burton was 32nd in practice.

Kasey Kahne, winner last week at Lowe's, was 32nd on the grid after a lap at 19.850 seconds, 95.395 mph. His starting average of 25.400 is worst among the Chasers, and his finishing average of 17.600 is seventh.

Six Chevrolets led the Chase lineup before Kenseth's Ford broke the streak at 20th. Martin was next in a Ford, followed by Burton's Chevrolet and Kahne's Dodge.

Gordon, Hamlin, Earnhardt, Kenseth and Martin bettered their practice times, while Johnson, Harvick, Busch, Burton and Kahne all fell short of theirs. The time of the run didn't seem to matter much, either, as Gordon and Hamlin went out early and Earnhardt and Johnson went out later.