Jeff Gordon Takes Pole At Michigan 400, Looks To Take Sprint Cup Lead

Jeff Gordon was the fastest driver at the Michigan International Speedway on Friday and his 206.558 mph run set a qualifying record at the track as NASCAR readies for the Pure Michigan 400. According to a report in The Sporting News, speeds at the Michigan track have climbed steadily after the surface was repaved in 2012, and Friday’s run by Gordon was the seventh fastest pole-winning speed in NASCAR’s Championship Cup history. Jeff Gordon talked about his historically fast qualifying run.

“I don’t know where to start. You can point at the repaving of the racetrack. This track is smooth — has a tremendous amount of surface area where the tire can get a lot of grip to it. The next thing is the cars.”

USA Today reports that Joey Logan qualified second with a top speed of 206.381 mph, and Carl Edwards was third with a run of 206.115. Brian Vickers and Brad Keselowski round out the five fastest, and each driver broke the 206 mph barrier. Current Sprint Cup Chase leader, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., qualified 25th with a run of 202.885.

Jeff Gordon hasn’t won at Michigan since 2001, which coincidentally was also the last time he won a Cup Championship. In June, Gordon finished sixth after leading 36 laps, and as he told The Detroit Free Press, he felt the car was a winner two months ago, but circumstances got out of his control.

“We had a good race car the last time we were here, a very good race car, a winning car in my opinion. A lot of restarts — we just did not get the restarts that we needed. That’s on me. We learned a lot last time we were here.”

Gordon, who is currently four points behind Earnhardt, Jr., can retake the lead in the Sprint Cup Chase with a good showing and solid finish at Michigan International Speedway as the season begins to wind down and each point becomes that much more important.

As reported in The Inquisitr, Tony Stewart did not make the trip to Michigan as he is still dealing with the tragedy that occurred on a dirt track in eastern New York last weekend. Jeff Burton will once again drive the no. 14 car in Stewart’s absence. Burton qualified in 27th.

The Pure Michigan 400 is this Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. By the end of the weekend, Jeff Gordon could be back in the driver’s seat as he races toward a Sprint Cup Championship.

[Images courtesy of Robert Reiners/Getty; and Bob Brodbeck/AP]