NASCAR ROUNDUP News and notes

Stewart wins pole: Tony Stewart was the fastest among 11 drivers who broke the track qualifying record for Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, turning a lap at 98.083 mph under an overcast sky Friday to win the pole position for Sunday's Subway 500. Stewart's lap easily eclipsed the mark of 97.043 mph set by Ryan Newman in this race a year ago, and eased Virginia native Ricky Rudd to the outside of the first row. Stewart also gained what he hopes will be an advantage by spending the first hour of practice working on his race setup. He said the decision was prompted by questions about today's weather, when the Nextel Cup drivers have two practice sessions. Rudd, making what could be his final start at Martinsville, circled the .526-mile track at 97.992 mph. The pole is the 10th of Stewart's career and third this season. He'll start the race in a tie with Jimmie Johnson atop the standings in the Chase for the championship with five races remaining. Johnson will start sixth after a lap at 97.548 mph.
Gordon the spoiler: Jeff Gordon won for the sixth time here in the spring, but arrived this weekend out of the Chase for the championship and qualified 15th. But, he said, along with helping Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson in any way he can, Gordon is hoping to gain some momentum in Sunday's race and build on it in the last four races before heading into an off-season that will bring change to his team. Robbie Loomis, Gordon's crew chief for his fourth series championship, will create the biggest void when he leaves after the season to join Petty Enterprises. "We'd love to have something good happen for us, because we certainly haven't had a lot of that lately," he said. "Something like that -- even just a top five for us, would be fantastic."
Associated Press
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