Nascar – Gordon gets a chance for the Chase at Richmond

Will Jeff Gordon succeed? While he is six points behind the tenth place of Kurt Busch (Furniture Row Racing), the last provisional qualifier for the Chase (except Wilcard's two places), the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet won his first pole of the season on the Richmond oval with a time of 20”674, 42 thousandths ahead of… Kurt Busch. His sixth pole at Richmond, the 73rd of his career, allows him to beat David Pearson's record with one pole won in the last 21 seasons. “It’s not very often that we break a David Pearson record, it’s truly incredible,” commented Jeff Gordon. “I didn’t think it would happen this year because we didn’t qualify well. The car was running well and I got a little nervous seeing Kurt get a good lap as the clouds rolled in. »

Brad Keselowski (Penske Racing) suit au troisième rang, mais une victoire du champion en titre ne serait peut-être même pas suffisante pour lui assurer une place dans le Chase. Le pilote de la Ford n°2 devance les Toyota de Clint Bowyer (Michael Waltrip Racing) et Matt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing) qui ont déjà décroché leur ticket pour la lutte finale. Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing) s’élancera du sixième rang devant Jamie McMurray (Earnhardt Ganassi Racing), Joey Logano (Penske Racing) et Greg Biffle (Roush Fenway Racing). Regan Smith (Hendrick Motorsports) s’est chargé de qualifier la Chevrolet n°48 de Jimmie Johnson, absent from the qualifying session, in tenth position. But the five-time champion will nevertheless have to start from the back of the grid.