NASCAR Rookie Gilliland Wins Talladega Pole

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon will start on the second row after turning in qualifying runs of 190.400 mph and 190.200 mph, respectively. They will be followed in the top 10 by Greg Biffle (190.041 mph), Kyle Busch (189.808 mph), Sterling Marlin (189.522 mph), Jamie McMurray (189.212 mph), Brian Vickers (188.958 mph) and J.J. Yeley (188.928 mph).

David Gilliland Photo: Talladega Speedway

TALLADEGA, Alabama - In a year of change for Robert Yates Racing, one thing has remained the same. The No. 38 M&M's Ford will once again start on the pole at Talladega Superspeedway.

The No. 38 car captured the pole position at Talladega for the third consecutive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race Saturday, prevailing during Discount Food Mart Qualifying for Sunday's running of the UAW-Ford 500.

This time, however, the driver of the car was NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series rookie David Gilliland, not Elliott Sadler.

This is the seventh pole award for Robert Yates at Talladega Superspeedway, tying the team owner for second place all-time at the track with Harry Melling.

Gilliland turned a fast lap of 191.712 mph, the quickest qualifying speed at Talladega Superspeedway since 1999, to edge Robert Yates Racing teammate Dale Jarrett (191.516 mph) for the top position. Sadler had piloted the No. 38 car to the pole in both last year's UAW-Ford 500 and this year's Aaron's 499 at the track.

Current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup points leader Jeff Burton will start 34th in Sunday's race, which is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. Among other championship contenders, Denny Hamlin will start 12th, Kevin Harvick 14th, Matt Kenseth 19th, Kasey Kahne 25th, Mark Martin 30th and Dale Earnhardt Jr. 33rd.

Gilliland's previous best NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start was 15th, and he has yet to finish a race in the top-20. But Jarrett said he expects Gilliland to have a successful NASCAR career.

UAW-Ford 500 Starting Lineup

1 38 David Gilliland M&M's Ford 191.712

2 88 Dale Jarrett UPS Ford 191.516

3 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet 190.400

4 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet 190.200

5 16 Greg Biffle National Guard/Charter Ford 190.041

6 5 Kyle Busch Kellogg's Chevrolet 189.808

7 14 Sterling Marlin Waste Management Chevrolet 189.522

8 26 Jamie McMurray Crown Royal Ford 189.212

9 25 Brian Vickers GMAC Chevrolet 188.958

10 18 J.J. Yeley # Interstate Batteries Chevrolet 188.928

11 12 Ryan Newman Alltel Dodge 188.775

12 11 Denny Hamlin # FedEx Express Chevrolet 188.660

13 20 Tony Stewart The Home Depot Chevrolet 188.574

14 29 Kevin Harvick GM Goodwrench Chevrolet 188.556

15 01 Joe Nemechek U.S. Army Chevrolet 188.408

16 1 Martin Truex Jr. # Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet 188.378

17 99 Carl Edwards Office Depot Ford 188.245

18 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 188.185

19 17 Matt Kenseth DeWalt Ford 188.163

20 49 Mike Bliss whatsOnline.com Dodge 188.130

21 55 Michael Waltrip NAPA Dodge 188.041

22 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge 188.015

23 21 Ken Schrader Motorcraft Ford 187.986

24 15 Paul Menard Moen/Menards Chevrolet 187.975

25 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge 187.964

26 78 Kenny Wallace Furniture Row Chevrolet 187.945

27 04 Eric McClure Hefty Brand Chevrolet 187.927

28 09 Mike Wallace Miccosukee Resort Ford 187.857

29 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge 187.827

30 6 Mark Martin AAA Ford 187.779

31 42 Casey Mears Texaco/Havoline Dodge 187.757

32 07 Clint Bowyer # DirecTV Chevrolet 187.482

33 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser Chevrolet 187.471

34 31 Jeff Burton Cingular Wireless Chevrolet 187.460

35 22 Dave Blaney Caterpillar Dodge 187.401

36 7 Robby Gordon Harrah's Chevrolet 187.368

37 66 Jeff Green Windows Live Microsoft Chevrolet187.291

38 40 David Stremme # Coors Light Dodge 187.068

39 43 Bobby Labonte Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge Owner Points

40 96 Tony Raines DLP® HDTV Chevrolet Owner Points

41 10 Scott Riggs Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge Owner Points

42 41 Reed Sorenson # Target Dodge Owner Points

43 74 Derrike Cope Sundance Vacations Dodge 187.379

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