Martin edges Busches at PIR for third pole of season

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- After failing to win a Cup Series pole for eight years, Mark Martin now has three in one season.

The ninth driver Friday to make a qualifying attempt at 1-mile Phoenix International Raceway, Martin posted a time (26.903 seconds, 133.814 mph) that stood up against the drivers that followed him on a racing surface that cooled throughout the afternoon -- but not as much as Martin expected (watch video).

Subway Fresh Fit 500

Race Lineup

Pos.	Driver	Speed	Time
1.	M. Martin	133.814	26.903
2.	Ky. Busch	133.725	26.921
3.	Ku. Busch	133.700	26.926
4.	J. Gordon	133.690	26.928
5.	B. Vickers	133.551	26.956
6.	T. Stewart	133.487	26.969
7.	P. Menard	133.482	26.970
8.	D. Reutimann	133.457	26.975
9.	R. Smith	133.437	26.979
10.	J. Johnson	133.338	26.999

• Complete Lineup | Photos

Accordingly, Martin will start from the top spot in Saturday night's Subway Fresh Fit 500 (8 p.m. ET, FOX).

With an uncharacteristically strong performance at Phoenix, Kyle Busch (26.921 seconds, 133.725 mph) claimed the second starting spot, followed by Kurt Busch and series points leader Jeff Gordon (watch video).

Brian Vickers, Tony Stewart, Paul Menard, David Reutimann, Regan Smith and Jimmie Johnson will start from positions five through 10, respectively.

"I was really pleased with the race car," said Martin, who had won his last pole in May 2001 at Richmond, before he qualified first at Bristol in March and followed that with a pole at Atlanta. "I felt like our early draw was really going to hurt. I thought that it was really going to cool off a lot. I was wrong about that.

"I don't think the track really picked up much. But I think a bunch of guys had the potential to beat us, and they messed their laps up. My first lap was very spot-on. It wasn't one like Atlanta or even Bristol -- I think those were pull-a-rabbit-out-of-a-hat kind of things. This is a good, solid race car, and I drove a solid lap."

Busch was pleased with his car from the moment it hit the track.

"It was a decent run for us," said Busch, who has one pole to his credit at Phoenix (2006) but has an average starting position of 16.8 in eight races here (watch video). "The [car] was good when we unloaded here. It felt pretty good off the truck. We made some minor changes to it, made some minor gains -- nothing really too huge.

"The setup that we brought here this weekend is different from what we've run here in the past and from what we've run on flat tracks in general. I feel good about it. Everybody's just so close. This thing's so tight -- the field, these cars. We'll see how the race plays out."

Even though he's starting on the pole, Martin knows he'll face formidable competition from Johnson, who has won the past three Cup races at Phoenix.

"When we beat Jimmie Johnson to win a race, I'm going to feel like I beat Superman," Martin said.

Notes: The pole was the 44th of Martin's career but his first in 25 attempts at Phoenix. Todd Bodine, Jeremy Mayfield, Dexter Bean, Brandon Ash and Trevor Boys failed to qualify.