 Although forty @-@ eight drivers were entered in the qualifier ; according to NASCAR 's qualifying procedure , only forty @-@ three could race . Each driver ran two laps , with the starting order determined by the competitor 's fastest times . Johnson clinched his fifth pole position of the season , with a time of 31 @.@ 049 . He was joined on the grid 's front row by Scott Speed . Marcos Ambrose qualified third , Martin took fourth and Stewart started fifth . Harvick , Newman , Greg Biffle , Bill Elliott and Bowyer completed the top ten fastest qualifiers . Kurt Busch , one of the drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup , qualified twelfth , while Jeff Gordon set the twentieth fastest time . The five drivers who failed to qualify were Joe Nemechek , Dave Blaney , Mike Skinner , Max Papis and David Stremme . After the qualifier Johnson said , " I had a talk with myself to do what I could today and don 't freak out if it 's not as good as what Mark [ Martin ] ran . I kept my emotions in check and drove the car with the right touch and feel , and that comes from being relaxed , so it went well . " 
