Truex Jr. is No. 1 - finally - on pole day

FORT WORTH, Texas - Martin Truex Jr. won the first pole of his Nextel Cup career thanks to a lap of 193.105 mph Friday at Texas Motor Speedway.

Truex, driving Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s No. 1 Chevrolet, was the only competitor to exceed 193 mph on the 1.5-mile oval in preparation for Sunday's Dickies 500. Truex had qualified second three times this season.

Series points leader Jeff Gordon will start on the outside of the front row as he turned a lap of 192.424 mph in his Hendrick Motorsports entry.

Jimmie Johnson, who is four points behind Gordon, will start eighth.

Rounding out the top five were Chip Ganassi Racing's Juan Pablo Montoya, Richard Childress Racing's Kevin Harvick and Team Red Bull's AJ Allmendinger.

Kurt Busch (Penske Racing) was sixth, followed by Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing), Johnson (Hendrick), Casey Mears (Hendrick) and Mark Martin (Dale Earnhardt Inc.).

Other Chase drivers were Tony Stewart (JGR) 15th, Kyle Busch (Hendrick) 17th, Matt Kenseth (Roush Fenway Racing) 18th, Carl Edwards (Roush Fenway) 21st, Jeff Burton (RCR) 27th and Clint Bowyer (RCR) 29th.

Ward Burton (Morgan-McClure Motorsports), John Andretti (BAM Racing), Michael Waltrip (Michael Waltrip Racing), Burney Lamar (EM Motorsports) and Kevin Lepage (Front Row Motorsports) failed to qualify, Andretti wrecked on his second lap.

Allmemdinger, Mike Skinner (Bill Davis Racing), Scott Riggs (Valvoline Evernham Racing), Brian Vickers (Red Bull), Dale Jarrett (MWR), Bill Elliott (Wood Brothers/JTG Racing), Joe Nemechek (Furniture Row Racing) and David Reutimann (MWR) made the race on qualifying speed.

• Mentioned Drivers:
• AJ Allmendinger