FONTANA (California), Feb 24: Jeff Gordon won the pole, Brian Vickers finally got Team Red Bull into a race, and Michael Waltrip failed to make the line-up on a topsy-turvy qualifying day on Friday for this weekend's Auto Club 500.

Gordon turned a fast lap of 185.735 mph (298.9 kph) at California Speedway to grab the 57th pole of his NASCAR career.

“It feels good to me just to get out from restrictor plate racing (at Daytona) and have a car that has downforce and be able to drive it through the corners and work with the teams on the handling,” said Gordon, who crashed on the last lap in Sunday's Daytona 500 and finished 10th.

“This is really where the championship is going to be made, on the downforce tracks,” the four-time series champion and three-time California winner added. “If we can put a good race car on the track this weekend, I'm going to be pretty excited about the type of year we're going to have.”

Kasey Kahne was second to Gordon at 185.519 mph (298.5 kph).

Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin, who put on a heart-thumping finish at Daytona, with Harvick winning by the length of his hood, were close again, this time with Martin coming out just ahead.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was fifth, followed by Clint Bowyer, who finished the Daytona 500 on his roof with his engine compartment in flames.

The fastest of four Toyotas that made the field was Dave Blaney, 14th. Blaney, driving for Bill Davis Racing, is the only Toyota entry who finished in the top 35 in car owner points last season and is guaranteed a starting spot in the first five races of 2007 because of those points.

Vickers, with a new team and with no points from last year, failed to race his way into the Daytona 500, but was just behind Blaney in 15th. His rookie team-mate, former open-wheel star A.J. Allmendinger, again came up short and will miss the race.

Waltrip also will be watching the race instead of driving in it after being knocked out of the line-up by rookie team-mate David Reutimann.

Jarrett had a transmission problem and failed to post a qualifying speed, but got the former series champion's provisional – the 43rd starting spot – for the second straight race.—AP