Chasers on front row as Edwards, Truex lead quals

As if there were any doubt that the Checker Auto Parts 500 would come down to a battle between Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, both drivers did their best Friday night to gain an advantage over the other in qualifying for Sunday's race.

While the two were busy putting their cars in the field third (Gordon) and sixth (Johnson), another Chaser stole the show. Carl Edwards won the pole for Sunday's race, topping fellow Chase driver Martin Truex Jr. by a scant .003 seconds.

Going out toward the end of the session, Gordon turned in a lap at 27.129 seconds, 132.699 mph in the DuPont Chevrolet to slide into the third spot behind Edwards and Truex. That represented a major gain over practice as he picked up nearly four tenths of a second.

Gordon, who added the Desert Mile to his list of tracks conquered in the spring, finally broke through after years of being close. In 17 starts, Gordon earned three poles, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes and led 247 laps. His average finish of 8.2 would be the best at most tracks, but it's second to Johnson's 7.3.

Johnson, meanwhile, kept the pressure on his teammate and boss, putting the Lowe's Chevrolet in at No. 6 with a lap at 27.246 seconds, 132.129 mph. Johnson was a tenth better in qualifying than he was in practice.

Johnson has yet to win at PIR in eight starts, but has finished in the top 10 three times in four. Of course, he hadn't won at Texas, either, until last week. He has a pair of runner-up finishes, another top-five and six top-10s.

Edwards was a solid second in practice in his Office Depot Ford, and claimed the pole halfway through the session at 27.114 seconds, 132.773 mph. That was .003 seconds faster than Truex Jr., who had gone out 10 cars prior and better than two-tenths of a second faster than he practiced.

In six starts at Phoenix, Edwards has two top-five and four top-10 finishes with a best result of fourth last year in the spring race. His average finish of 11.7 is fifth in the Chase.

Truex has a 12th-place finish as his best result in three starts, sandwiched between 22nd- and 20th-place efforts. That gives him an average of 18.0, tied with Kyle Busch. His lap at 27.117 seconds, 132.758 mph was good for another outside pole.

Truex was near the bottom of the chart in practice (32nd of 49 cars) in his Bass Pro Shops Chevy, and like Gordon shaved more than half a second off his practice time when it counted.

Kurt Busch is another PIR winner, one of seven Chasers with at least one victory, turning the trick in the spring of 2005. The elder Busch led 219 of 312 laps that day, nearly half his career (and Chase-best) total of 448 in nine races. Two top-five and five top-10 finishes mark his record at Phoenix, which leave him with an average finish of 13.6, seventh in the Chase.

Busch was the first Dodge in line in ninth at 27.268 seconds, 132.023 mph, and he picked up two tenths of a second from practice in his Miller Lite machine.

Jeff Burton is one of two drivers in the Chase to have won two PIR races (the other being Kevin Harvick), the last triumph coming in 2001. In 16 starts, Burton has five top-five and eight top-10 finishes, and his average finish of 11.6 is fourth among Chasers. (Continued)