Gordon knocks Truex from pole, Stewart to start 34th

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- If Jeff Gordon keeps this up, he will one day walk off with the deed to Martinsville Speedway.

Gordon led an abbreviated practice session earlier in the day, then went on to take the pole for Sunday's Subway 500, guaranteeing the active leader in victories on the .526-mile paperclip the best pit spot and all sorts of momentum.

Gordon, whose lap of 19.938 seconds at 94.974 mph knocked fellow Chaser Martin Truex Jr. off the pole, is the acknowledged master of Martinsville, having won seven times in 29 starts.

That's a lot of grandfather clocks, which the speedway presents to the winner.

In 10 more races, he's come home in the top five, and he's been in the top 10 a whopping 23 times. Gordon now has six poles, and has led 2,298 laps (that's 1,400 fewer than all-time leader Cale Yarborough). His average finish is a miniscule 7.3, second among Chasers.

Perhaps the most important stat of all for Gordon at Martinsville is the number of DNFs he has: 0.

Truex surprised early, clicking off a lap at 19.988, 94.737 mph. That was good for the pole and the only sub-20-second lap of the day until Gordon came out. It marks the third time this year he's missed the pole by a smidgen, and tied his career-best starting position.

Truex has three starts at Martinsville, and while the track bears a resemblance to the tracks he grew up on in the Northeast, he hasn't quite figured out the little monster. His best finish is 19th, earlier this year, and his average finish is 28.0.

Kevin Harvick is looking to put tire troubles in the rearview mirror, although Martinsville is not a good place to try that. In 12 starts, Harvick averages 20.1 per finish (10th in the Chase) and has four top-10 runs to his name. His best finish is seventh, twice, the last coming in April of this year.

Harvick went out later in the session and laid down the third-fastest lap, 19.999 seconds, 94.685 mph.

Jimmie Johnson kept pace with his teammate and car owner Gordon, putting his Chevrolet fourth at 20.013 seconds, 94.618 mph. If Gordon is the king, then Johnson is the crown prince. In 11 starts, Johnson has three victories, seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. His average finish is 6.6, better than Gordon's and best in the Chase.

In those 11 starts, he has led 724 laps, which ranks third behind Gordon and Tony Stewart.

Stewart is the only non-Hendrick Motorsports driver to win during the past five, turning the trick in 2006. In 17 starts, Smoke has three poles, a pair of victories, six top-fives and 10 top-10s, and he's led 1,193 laps.

He'll start out in the hole on Sunday, though, posting a lap at 20.241 seconds, 93.553 mph that put him 34th. (Continued)