Busch takes All-Star pole; Sadler tops in Showdown

CONCORD, N.C. -- Kyle Busch found something else to win.

In a unique qualifying format that featured three laps and a green-flag pit stop, Busch outpaced Jeff Gordon by .54 seconds to win the pole for Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Busch's average speed of 132.835 mph gave him a solid edge over Gordon's 132.251 mph. Busch is seeking his first victory in the annual non-points event, which will be contested in four segments of 25 laps each; Gordon hopes to win the race for a record fourth time.

Busch's No. 18 Toyota was the final car to attempt qualifying on Friday, long after Gordon had established the time to beat. Busch managed to hold his entry speed under the speed limit (45 mph) and thereby avoided a 20-second penalty (watch video).

"Being able to go out last definitely helped out," said Busch, who earlier in the day had won the pole for Friday night's Craftsman Truck Series race. "I thought I got busted speeding there. If it wasn't, it was that close -- very close."

Kurt Busch (131.539 mph) will start third, followed by Martin Truex Jr. (131.357 mph) and Greg Biffle (131.274 mph). All told, 21 cars that are guaranteed starting spots in the race made qualifying attempts; the top-two finishers from Saturday's Sprint Showdown will be added to the field, as will one driver voted in by race fans.

"I felt like I gave up a little bit getting into the pits," Gordon said. "The car felt really good on the track. We felt like Kyle would be faster than us on the track, and we knew he'd be aggressive getting to pit road."

All-Star Race

SPEED will again broadcast the Sprint Showdown and All-Star Race. Tune in at 7 p.m. ET on May 17 to watch rivals race for $1 million -- and the fireworks!

• All-Star coverage

In an earlier conventional qualifying session for the Sprint Showdown, Elliott Sadler (185.014 mph) put his No. 19 Dodge on the pole for the 40-lap event, edging Brian Vickers (184.786 mph).

"Track position is everything," said Sadler, who finished second in the 2005 All-Star race but is not locked into the field this year. "We definitely want to race our way in. That would mean a lot to me, and it's something the team really needs."

Notes: Jimmie Johnson's qualifying run for the All-Star Race was disallowed, because the crew secured the fifth lug nut (which had been missing) to the left-front wheel when the No. 48 Chevy was outside the pit box. He'll start 21st. ... A 5-second penalty for a loose lug nut negated an otherwise excellent run by Kevin Harvick. ... Two other top cars will start near the rear of the field, including the No. 99 Ford of Carl Edwards (penalized for entering pit road too fast) and the No. 11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin (who compounded a too-fast entry by spinning the car on pit road). ... Dale Jarrett qualified 18th after suffering a 5-second penalty for a loose lug nut.