Gordon, Johnson to start in top three at Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. -- Two Hendrick Motorsports drivers will roll off the grid in the top three Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.

Jeff Gordon qualified second Friday evening, so he will take the outside pole. Just behind him is teammate Jimmie Johnson in third position.

"I'm happy that we're on the front row, but at the same time I see how far behind we are of the (pole-sitter's) car and feel like we have a race car that can compete with those guys," Gordon said. "We'll just go out there and try to make that happen tomorrow night."

Kasey Kahne will start 21st and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will begin the final race before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in 24th position.

Below is a breakdown of how the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers performed during Friday evening's qualifying session.

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS
Qualified: 21st
Best speed: 124.349 mph
Best time: 21.713 sec.
Average start at Richmond: 12.5

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS
Qualified: 2nd
Best speed: 126.039 mph
Best time: 21.422 sec.
Average start at Richmond: 8.0

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
Qualified: 3rd
Best speed: 125.898 mph
Best time: 21.446 sec.
Average start at Richmond: 12.4

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
Qualified: 24th
Best speed: 124.269 mph
Best time: 21.727 sec.
Average start at Richmond: 15.8