Gordon scores Hendrick Motorsports' 200th pole in Homestead

Credit: Robert Laberge/NASCAR via Getty Images

Jeff Gordon grabbed the Coors Light Pole Friday night for the Ford Ecoboost 400 with his lap of
29.876 seconds at 180.747 mph. The first-place start marks number 200 for Hendrick Motorsports and the 77th for Gordon in 761 career starts. If you do the math, that's a pole about ever 10 starts over his career.

This was Gordon's first pole in 16 starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It's small consolation for missing the finals on the last corner of the last lap of the last race of the Eliminator Round last week.

"I think even if we win this race on Sunday, that's only going to make it hurt a little bit more in some ways because we could have won the championship if we were here," said Gordon post-qualifying.

"I think it's not that I'm over it yet, but I've definitely ‑‑ getting to the racetrack, it allows all of us to focus on what we do best, which is go and compete, and when you're fine‑tuning the setup of the car and making laps, especially at this place, right up an inch off the wall every lap, that takes your mind off of it."

Apparently unfazed by the controversy surrounding him, Kurt Busch rattled off a lap of 180.632 mph, good enough for the outside of the front row. Matt Kenseth followed close behind for third, with Brad Keselowski starting fourth. As has been the pattern this season, the second round of qualifying saw the track record fall, this time to Keselowski with his run of 181.238 mph.

Kevin Harvick starts fifth, closest to the front of the final four Chase contenders. Between him and the next Chase contender are Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch, then Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano roll off 8th and 9th respectively. Martin Truex Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the final round's top 12.

"Obviously, you want to try to qualify on the pole and do the best that you can," said Harvick, "But it's hard to complain about a top five and being in front of the other three is really the ultimate goal today and tomorrow and the next day. I think if we prepare, we should be competitive."

Starting back in 21st, Ryan Newman has some ground to make up if he's going to snatch the Sprint Cup from the clutches of Harvick, Hamlin and Logano.

Whichever of the four drivers finishes best, whether he wins the race or not, will win the Championship.

The final race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup starts at 3:00 pm Sunday, aired on ESPN and SiriusXM NASCAR radio. You can see the weekend's TV schedule here.

The full starting order:

Rank	Driver	Time	Speed
1	Jeff Gordon	29.876	180.747
2	Kurt Busch	29.895	180.632
3	Matt Kenseth	29.951	180.294
4	Brad Keselowski	30.001	179.994
5	Kevin Harvick	30.009	179.946
6	Clint Bowyer	30.068	179.593
7	Kyle Busch	30.087	179.480
8	Denny Hamlin	30.109	179.348
9	Joey Logano	30.124	179.259
10	Martin Truex, Jr.	30.156	179.069
11	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	30.280	178.336
12	Jimmie Johnson	30.563	176.684
13	Brian Vickers	30.167	179.004
14	Justin Allgaier	30.178	178.938
15	Carl Edwards	30.201	178.802
16	Paul Menard	30.202	178.796
17	Marcos Ambrose	30.205	178.778
18	Aric Almirola	30.235	178.601
19	Jamie McMurray	30.235	178.601
20	Greg Biffle	30.256	178.477
21	Ryan Newman	30.296	178.241
22	Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.	30.344	177.959
23	Kasey Kahne	30.375	177.778
24	Austin Dillon	30.392	177.678
25	A.J. Allmendinger	30.298	178.230
26	Trevor Bayne	30.314	178.136
27	Kyle Larson	30.315	178.130
28	Tony Stewart	30.333	178.024
29	Casey Mears	30.390	177.690
30	Brian Scott	30.476	177.189
31	David Ragan	30.489	177.113
32	Danica Patrick	30.496	177.072
33	Landon Cassill	30.622	176.344
34	J.J. Yeley	30.629	176.304
35	David Gilliland	30.672	176.056
36	Reed Sorenson	30.745	175.638
37	Josh Wise	30.760	175.553	OP
38	Michael McDowell	30.773	175.479	OP
39	Michael Annett	30.877	174.887	OP
40	Blake Koch	30.882	174.859	OP
41	Alex Bowman	30.934	174.565	OP
42	Cole Whitt	31.009	174.143	OP
43	Brett Moffitt	31.069	173.807	OP

* OP = Owner's Points