MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Jeff Gordon had mixed feelings about qualifying being washed out by rain for the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway this Sunday.

He felt like he could win the pole. But then, as the Sprint Cup Series points leader, he knew he already had it if the skies did open up.

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We need wins. That's something we're working really hard on right now -- to get to Victory Lane ...

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JEFF GORDON

The showers did eventually come, so he ended up where he had hoped to be all along (watch video). Now it is a question of what he does with it, as he continues to seek an end to a winless streak that has stretched to 46 races. His last victory came on Oct. 13, 2007, at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"There are only maybe two or three decent [pit] stalls here," Gordon said of Martinsville. "But there's only one really good one -- and that's the No. 1 pit stall. So that's what everybody really shoots for.

"Certainly at this point in the season, leading the points doesn't mean a whole lot other than you're having a pretty good year and you've been consistent. And if it rains, you get that No. 1 stall."

Some of his fellow competitors were wary of Gordon being awarded the pole. Prior to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson wresting the unofficial title of Mr. Martinsville from him by winning four of the last five races at the .526-mile short track, Gordon registered seven victories at the joint. They came over a stretch from 1996 through 2005, when Gordon swept both Martinsville races that season.

"I think any time you're in a Hendrick car here, you're definitely going to have a good shot at dominating the day and going into Victory Lane just based on past history," said Kurt Busch, who is second in points and will start alongside Gordon on the front row Sunday. "Jeff Gordon is very strong. ... [Gordon getting] the first pit box is just icing on the cake."

Gordon said he thought he had a good shot at earning the pole had qualifying been held, and the laps he turned during the one Cup practice prior to rain washing out everything else confirmed that. He spent much of the practice on top of the speed chart, and his top lap speed of 95.985 mph ended up third behind only Denny Hamlin (96.176 mph) and Kevin Harvick (96.058 mph).

Much of the pre-race chatter has involved the hyping of some sort of Mr. Martinsville rivalry between Hendrick's two favorite sons -- Gordon and Johnson. But Gordon downplayed that notion, saying his No. 24 Chevrolet team tries hard not to get caught up in personal rivalries with Johnson or anyone else. (Continued)