Busch Wins Subway 500 Pole

Busch's time of 19.408 seconds did not beat the track record of 19.306 seconds set by Tony Stewart last fall.

Photo courtesy: nascar.com

MARTINSVILLE, Va. - A former NEXTEL Cup champion and a driver on the comeback trail took the spotlight off the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup in qualifying Friday for Sunday's SUBWAY 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Kurt Busch, the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion, captured the pole for Sunday's race while Ward Burton, attempting to make his first race in two years, qualified 35th.

Busch's lap of 19.408 seconds (97.568 mph) around the .526-mile oval edged out seven-time Martinsville winner Jeff Gordon by .038 seconds.

Busch and Burton set the tone for somewhat of an odd day of qualifying, with the top 10 a blend of Chase contenders and drivers well outside the Chase.

Jeff Burton, Ward's younger brother who is leading the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, struggled a bit and will start Sunday's race back in 28th.

Gordon, 10th in points, will start on the outside pole while fellow Chase contender Denny Hamlin qualified third.

Ryan Newman, suffering through a dismal season, was fourth fastest with Tony Stewart fifth.

Dave Blaney qualified sixth, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., fifth in the points, and Jeff Green. Rounding out the top 10 qualifiers are Jimmie Johnson in ninth and Ken Schrader, 10th in the Wood Brothers Ford.

"It was a great lap, unexpected for me," said Busch after his sixth pole win of the season. "But this team has always qualified well at this track, especially with Rusty behind the wheel.

"I'm real proud of this team. Rusty always did well with the Miller Lite Dodge at Martinsville."

"Sometimes when you go slow you think you left some on the table," said Busch after his ninth career pole. "I thought there was some left, but maybe it was just right. Martinsville is the kind of track that you either love or hate. I've learned to do both."

Gordon is no stranger to the front row at Martinsville. He has five Martinsville poles and 19 top-10 starts at the short track.

"We're having fun here and trying to make the most of it," said Gordon. "The first lap on the clock I knew was a good one. I got through the corner decent, but I didn't feel like I was aggressive enough so I went out there a little bit harder on the second lap."

Subway 500 Starting Lineup:

Row 1 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge - Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet

Row 2 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Chevrolet - Ryan Newman Alltel Dodge

Row 3 Tony Stewart The Home Depot Chevrolet - Dave Blaney Caterpillar Dodge

Row 4 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser Chevrolet - Jeff Green Best Buy/Haas CNC Chevrolet

Row 5 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet - Ken Schrader Little Debbie Ford

Row 6 Tony Raines DLP® HDTV Chevrolet - Kevin Harvick GM Goodwrench Chevrolet

Row 7 David Stremme Lonestar Steakhouse Dodge - Kyle Petty Wells Fargo Dodge

Row 8 Kyle Busch Kellogg's Chevrolet - Reed Sorenson Target Dodge

Row 9 Scott Riggs Stanley Tools/Valvoline Dodge - Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet

Row 10 Casey Mears Texaco/Havoline Dodge - Matt Kenseth R&L Carriers Ford

Row 11 Brian Vickers GMAC Chevrolet - Sterling Marlin Ginn Clubs & Resorts Chevrolet

Row 12 Joe Nemechek U.S. Army Chevrolet - Jamie McMurray IRWIN Industrial Tools Ford

Row 13 Mark Martin AAA Ford - Robby Gordon Menards/Mapei Chevrolet

Row 14 Carl Edwards Office Depot Ford - Jeff Burton Cingular Wireless Chevrolet

Row 15 David Gilliland M&M's Ford - Bobby Labonte Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge

Row 16 Travis Kvapil Tide/Downy Chevrolet - Kasey Kahne Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge

Row 17 Michael Waltrip NAPA Dodge - Elliott Sadler Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge

Row 18 Ward Burton Lucas Oil Chevrolet - J.J. Yeley Imitrex/GSK Chevrolet

Row 19 Clint Bowyer Jack Daniel's Chevrolet - Greg Biffle National Guard/Subway Ford

Row 20 Dale Jarrett UPS Ford - Kenny Wallace Furniture Row Chevrolet

Row 21 David Ragan Roush Racing Ford - Kevin Lepage Oak Gloves Chevrolet

Row 22 Mike Skinner Dutch Quality Stone Chevrolet

Did Not Qualify: Mike Bliss; Hermie Sadler; Chad Chaffin; Morgan Shepherd; Ted Christopher; Derrike Cope; Stanton Barrett.

Adding comments to these stories has been disabled. View the current sports stories Salem-News Sports