Aimee
Jeff Gordon wasn’t just fast on Friday as he won the pole for this Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400; he was historically fast. His qualifying lap of 206.558 miles per hour is the seventh-fastest in Sprint Cup history, per NASCAR Stats:
rack records have been falling left and right all season. According to NASCAR.com, this is the 17th time in 2014 alone that a driver has broken a track’s previous best for fastest lap. Gordon is the second driver to break a track record at the Michigan International Speedway, per USA Today’s Nate Ryan:
Gordon was a man of few words after qualifying.
“That thing stuck so well,” he said about his car, per Ryan. “That makes it fun.”
Gordon now has 76 poles to his credit throughout his illustrious career, including two in 2014.
Heading into Sunday, he sits fourth in the points standings. His two wins all but assure him a place in the final Chase for the Sprint Cup. With a trip to Victory Lane, Gordon would almost certainly vault to first in the standings, so he won’t be taking it easy simply because he’s qualified for the Chase.
