Gordon races to first pole of season

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Jeff Gordon hopes his first pole of the season might temporarily silence his critics.

Gordon took the top qualifying spot Friday, setting a track record by running a lap at 127.216 mph at Bristol Motor Speedway. It was the 40th pole of his career, first since August, and showed he could be back to his old form.

Gordon, who won his fourth Winston Cup championship last season, is off to a slow start this year by his standards, with a seventh at Rockingham being his highest finish. He's sixth in the points standings and has been dogged by questions about his struggles.

"Our pole right here might quiet some of that," said Gordon, who broke Steve Park's mark of 126.370 mph set in 2000.

"Plus it helps our confidence and our own morale and it gives us a great boost. A win would also help, winning fixes a lot of things."

Gordon, who gave car owner Rick Hendrick his first pole at Bristol since 1986, knocked Robby Gordon off of the top spot for Sunday's Food City 500.

Robby Gordon ran a 126.478 and thought it was good enough to start first until Jeff Gordon went out as the 42nd of 43 cars and beat his speed, putting two Chevrolets on the front row.

"My guys were giving me a bunch of bull that he wanted it more than I did," Robby Gordon said. "I'm not going to live it down for at least another two weeks now."

IRL: Tomas Scheckter's learning curve is getting shorter fast.

The 21-year-old son of former Formula One champion Jody Scheckter was fastest in practice for the inaugural Yamaha 400, turning a lap of 222.130 mph on California Speedway's banked 2-mile oval at Fontana, Calif.

And it wasn't even in his own car.

"There was something wrong with my car, an electronic problem, and I had to use Eddie's car," the rookie said, referring to the backup entry of teammate and boss Eddie Cheever Jr.

"The crew did a great job of changing everything from my car. It really felt good."

BUSCH: Rookie Scott Riggs had no trouble making his first trip around Bristol Motor Speedway, setting a record in winning the pole for the Channellock 250.

Riggs ran a lap around the .533-mile ring at 126.270 mph, breaking the Busch series record of 125.264 set by Kevin Harvick last year.

-- From wire reports