BRISTOL, Tenn. — A week away from the racetrack gave Mark Martin the break he needed from his disastrous start to the season.

It certainly didn't slow him down.

Martin won his second straight pole Friday with a lap of 125.773 mph around Bristol Motor Speedway, giving him the top starting spot in consecutive races for the first time in 20 years.

Two weeks ago in Atlanta, the 50-year-old Martin became the second oldest driver in NASCAR history to win the pole. That pole had been Martin's first since May 5, 2001, at Richmond.

"It's the (No.) 5 car," Martin said in giving all the credit to his Hendrick Motorsports crew. "We have learned so much through each individual event that man, I feel good. We unloaded here rolling."

It's the lift Martin and his team need after falling far short of their early season goals. His motor blew up at California and Las Vegas, leading to consecutive 40th-place finishes, and then he cut a tire at Atlanta while running fourth. That caused him to finish 31st and he heads into Sunday's race 34th in the Sprint Cup Series standings.