Jeff Gordon Blasts Through Turn 4 at Charlotte To Take the Pole As the Last Driver Out

        With a time of 27.791 seconds (194.308 mph), Jeff Gordon grabbed the pole for the Saturday night shoot out at Charlotte. Gordon was the last driver out and his chances for the pole looked bleak on the backstretch. All of a sudden, Gordon got a run in turn 4 that propelled him to the pole for the second time this season. Kasey Kahne, Gordon's teammate, held the pole for most of the session before Greg Biffle took the provisional pole from him. This led to a rash of fast laps with Kevin Harvick taking the provisional pole next. Gordon was able to beat all those drivers to take the pole. It was a good run for Gordon and one that could lead to a good finish on Saturday night. Matt Kenseth had a struggle of a qualifying session. He went out first and ran a very slow lap compared to his competitors. When all was said and done, Kenseth was the worst of the Chase drivers with a twentieth place starting spot. It will be interesting to see if he can move up in the field and if he loses the points lead after the race. The session was not one for wrecks and incidents, but it had a lot of ramifications for the Chase. All in all, this qualifying session could tell the story on a championship winner and a second place finisher in the title battle.

        Matt Kenseth was the first driver on the track. Kenseth ran a pretty shaky lap since he was the first driver out. He ended up twentieth and will have a lot of ground to make up on Saturday. These slow speeds were not a theme for the session as Kasey Kahne went out second and blistered a quick lap. This lap gave him the provisional pole and a lap that seemed pretty competitive for the pole to begin, but it was early in the session. Kahne's pole lap held up well and he was still on top after twenty drivers. After thirty drivers, he had outlasted laps from Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, and Juan Pablo Montoya, but contenders were still left. After thirty seven drivers, Kahne still held the provisional pole, but that would end in a short moment. Greg Biffle went out thirty eighth and took the provisional pole from Kahne. It looked like Biffle had the pole, but a few contenders would stand in his way. Kevin Harvick would go out next to last and take the pole from Biffle for the moment. Finally, it looked like the pole was safely in someone's hands, but Jeff Gordon would change that. Gordon went out and ran fairly slow compared to the field in turns 1 and 2. On the backstretch, it looked like Harvick had wrapped up the pole, but Gordon wasn't finished. He drove hard into turns 3 and 4 and drove off the corner with enough speed to surpass Harvick for his second pole of the season and seventy third of his career. It was a great comeback for Gordon and one that could lead him to a win at Charlotte and possibly a championship.

        It was an odd first week to start the Chase for Gordon. First, he was out of the Chase after the race at Richmond. By the next Friday, Gordon was added as the thirteenth driver in the Chase for the Championship. Now, he sits fourth and only a few points out to take a hold of the points lead. Gordon is making the most out of his opportunity in the Chase, but he could climax it with a title at the end of the year. Most of the Chase drivers continued to qualify at the front with drivers like Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, and Kasey Kahne in the top 5 after the session. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, and Kurt Busch followed close in the footsteps of the leaders. Others, like Matt Kenseth, sit on the outside looking in when the race starts on Saturday. With all these story lines looking to play out, it could be an interesting shoot out at the one and a half mile track at Charlotte on Saturday. Plus, Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne still have a fight to settle after Harvick barely beat Kahne in May. Will this fight be better than the one in May? It could be and the other story lines around the race will make it only even more worth watching.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Jeff Gordon     27.791 (194.308 mph)
2nd: Kevin Harvick     27.806 (194.203 mph)
3rd: Greg Biffle     27.841 (193.959 mph)
4th: Jimmie Johnson     27.865 (193.791 mph)
5th: Kasey Kahne      27.879 (193.694 mph)

Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
6th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.     27.902 (193.535 mph)
7th: Ryan Newman      27.913 (193.458 mph)
9th: Kyle Busch     27.921 (193.403 mph)
10th: Kurt Busch     27.963 (193.112 mph)
12th: Joey Logano      27.983 (192.974 mph)
14th: Clint Bowyer     28.020 (192.719 mph)
15th: Carl Edwards     28.041 (192.575 mph)
20th: Matt Kenseth     28.126 (191.993 mph)

DNQs: None




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
-Image:
https://twitter.com/NASCAR/status/388469938039422976/photo/1