Martinsville Triple: Gordon Gets Third Straight Pole

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (April 16, 2004) – Jeff Gordon picked up his third consecutive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series pole position at Martinsville Speedway on Friday, driving his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet to a lap of 93.502 mph and 20.252 seconds. The performance also marked his fourth straight spring-race pole and his fifth number-one start all-time at the .526-mile oval. It’s his 37th career pole in 373 Cup Series events. Jimmie Johnson and Team Lowe’s Racing will start eighth after posting a lap of 92.878 mph. Johnson has qualified his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet in the top dozen cars in seven of eight races this season. Two-time champion Terry Labonte, who leads all active drivers with 27 top-10 finishes at Martinsville, will start 28th in the No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevy. Driving the No. 25 GMAC Financial Services Monte Carlo, rookie Brian Vickers will line up 36th. FOX (1 p.m. ET) and MRN Radio (12:30 p.m. ET) will carry the event live from Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.