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Gordon tops Dickies times

Veteran still chasing series title in Fort Worth

Last updated: 7th November 2009

Gordon: Chasing victory

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Jeff Gordon claimed his first NASCAR pole of the season for the Dickies 500 with a qualifying lap time of 191.117 mph in Fort Worth, Texas.

It was a 68th career pole for the stock car veteran as he took his Chevrolet to the top of the timesheets ahead of the Dodge pair of Kasey Kahne and Jurt Busch.

Gordonstill has an outside chance of catching series leader Jimmie Johnson, although realistically he faces a fight for the second place berth with Mark Martin with three races left.

"We've still got a great battle going for second in points," Gordon said. "If for some crazy reason those guys had trouble, we've got to make sure we capitalize on them. Our focus right now is winning races, and trying to get to second in points."

Johnson takes a comfortable 184-point lead over Martin into Sunday's race, with Gordon eight points further back.

Martin, already a season runner-up four times, is facing the realistic possibility of being in that spot again after qualifying in seventh. His deficit increased by 66 points after an airborne crash with two laps to go at Talladega last week.

"Definitely no heartbreak whatsoever. But Talladega did rub...I would rather go down fighting than flipping," Martin said. "I didn't take this job to go try and get a championship trophy.

"I took this job, you know why, and doggone, it has worked out pretty good. We have been in a position; it still could happen. The race is still on for the top six positions."