Gordon wins outside pole, Johnson qualifies third at Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas — After showing plenty of speed in Friday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying session, Jeff Gordon will start Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway from the outside pole position. The driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet was a mere 0.001 seconds away from scoring his 77th career pole position.


“It was three incredible laps and a great effort by our Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet team today," Gordon said after the final qualifying session. "All day long we have had a fast race car. It’s awesome to be able to back that up in qualifying."

Teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also advanced to the final round of qualifying and will roll off the grid third and 12th, respectively. Kasey Kahne moved on to the second round, but just missed the cut-off for the final session and qualified 14th.

Below is a look at how all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared in Friday's qualifying session.

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS
Qualified: 14th
Best speed: 198.632 mph
Best time: 27.042 sec.
Average start at Texas: 12.8

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS
Qualified: Second
Best speed: 199.689 mph
Best time:  27.042 sec.
Average start at Texas: 12.2

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S RED VEST CHEVROLET SS
Qualified: Third
Best speed: 199.734 mph
Best time: 27.036 sec.
Average start at Texas: 8.8

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 DIET MOUNTAIN DEW CHEVROLET SS
Qualified: 12th
Best speed: 198.983 mph
Best time: 27.138 sec.
Average start at Texas: 11.6