Phoenix, AZ (My Sportsbook) - Four-time Nextel Cup champion Jeff Gordon captured the pole for Saturday night's Subway Fresh 500 race at the Phoenix International Raceway. The No.24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet circled the one-mile desert oval in 26.931 seconds (133.675 m.p.h.).

The pole victory was Gordon's first of the season and 53rd of his Cup career.

Curiously, in 17 Nextel Cup events at PIR since 1988 the pole winner has never won the race. That does not bode well for Gordon, who has never won a Nextel Cup race at PIR.

"I didn't think we had a car capable of running that speed," said Gordon. "We had a great car yesterday in race trim, but we put it in qualifying trim and could not go anywhere."

Starting on the front row with Gordon, will be Kurt Busch, who posted a second-best time of 27.016 seconds.

Greg Biffle (27.035) and Bobby Labonte (27.069) will start in row two.

Jimmie Johnson, who will start 12th on the grid, continues to lead the championship and holds a 135-point margin over Biffle. The No.48 Lowe's Chevrolet has collected 13 straight top-10s, a streak that dates back to October 2004 at Charlotte.

Biffle won last week at Texas to cut Johnson's lead from 160 down to its current level.

Despite qualifying 22nd, Mark Martin will be one of the favorites in the race. The Roush Racing veteran has garnered 13 top-10 finishes in 17 starts at PIR, more than any other driver. Ford has earned 11 of 17 wins at the one-mile oval.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won the last two events at PIR and led a total of 205 laps en route to those victories. "Junior" is trying to rebound from a slow start to 2005 and has finished well in the last three events - fourth at Bristol, 13th at Martinsville, ninth at Texas.

"We're working hard," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I've stepped up my commitment. I started out the year relaxed and allowing those guys to get used to the change first and with me coming in there I didn't really want to push them hard at the start."

Earnhardt Jr. will start 15th in the 43-car field.

The race is scheduled to begin Saturday night at 8 p.m. (edt).