BRISTOL, Tenn. - It makes no difference how many wins or how many poles Jeff Gordon racks up. Three weeks from now, it's all going to be wiped out under NASCAR's new championship format.

Still, Gordon wants to be on top when the field is reset for the 10-race playoff. He made a move toward firming up his hold on the top Friday by winning the pole at Bristol Motor Speedway.

It was the 52nd pole of his career and the series-best sixth pole of the season, and he'll go for a series-leading sixth victory Saturday night in the Sharpie 500.

"We're trying to gain momentum going into those last 10," Gordon said. "We want to gain confidence in ourselves and show what we've got and what we're made of. We're certainly not here just to ride around and wait for those last 10 races."

Gordon ran a lap at 128.520 mph, putting the No. 24 Chevrolet on the pole for the third straight Bristol night race and on the front row the last six events.

Rookie Kasey Kahne, who qualified second in the No. 9 Dodge with a lap of 127.410 mph, knows getting around Gordon on race night won't be easy.

"He has a knack for this place," Kahne said. "He is always very good at this place, and I think Jeff Gordon is just an excellent driver here. But I have an awesome car, and if it's that awesome in the race, I'll have a shot at it."

But Kahne hit the wall in practice Friday and was considering going to a backup car - which would force him to the back of the field.

Tennessee native Sterling Marlin qualified third in a Dodge, his best starting position on his home track since 1997. But Marlin, who has never been to Bristol's Victory Lane and hasn't won at all since 2002, is more interested in his finishing position.

"It's one of my favorite tracks and hopefully we can get one of them big 'ol Bristol trophies," Marlin said. "Like I said, it's my home state and it's really important to do well here."

Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray qualified fourth and fifth in Dodges, and Tony Stewart was sixth in a Chevrolet. Mark Martin, Elliott Sadler, Jeremy Mayfield and Greg Biffle completed the top 10.

Jimmie Johnson, who lost the points lead last week to Gordon after his third-straight DNF, qualified 11th. But he wrecked the No. 48 Chevrolet in the second practice session and his team was taking out the backup car to prepare.

Nine-time Bristol winner Rusty Wallace, who is expected to announce Monday that the 2005 season will be his last, was 13th.

Kurt Busch, winner of the past three Bristol races, qualified 24th.

Bristol will be a critical race in setting the participants for NASCAR's 10-race playoff. There are just three races until the field is set, and teams are scrambling to make the cutoff. Only drivers within the top 10 in the standings, and anyone within 400 points of the leader will be eligible.

Gordon is safely into the chase. But most of the guys starting behind him aren't, beginning with Kahne, who has a slight hold on the 10th spot.

Right behind him are Newman, McMurray, Martin and Mayfield.

But Bristol is a dangerous track, partly because of the tight confines of the 0.533-mile bullring. The cars are bumper to bumper for most of the race, and one slight error can wipe out half the field. Accidents are plentiful, and getting knocked out on Saturday night could eliminate a drivers' chance at qualifying for the chase.

"I used to love this place," Martin said. "But now that they wreck so much here, it's not as much fun as it used to be."