Chase hopefuls scattered throughout Fontana field

On a weekend where nine drivers could potentially clinch a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, there were few surprises at Auto Club Speedway in Pepsi 500 qualifying.

Jeff Gordon, fresh off a solid run last weekend at Bristol, was the best of those for whom the Chase is not yet a certainty, putting his Chevrolet in third place for Sunday's event.

Gordon led the bubble brigade with a lap at 40.097 seconds, 179.565 mph. Gordon has won three times at ACS and half his 16 starts there have ended up with him finishing in the top five. As at most tracks, Gordon is the active lap leader at 525.

Kevin Harvick, like Gordon on the cusp of clinching a berth, will start 33rd in his Chevrolet, 15 spots worse than his average starting spot.

In between, the drivers who must do well on Sunday to even get a chance at the Chase next week at Richmond did their best to get a solid starting spot.

Kasey Kahne, whose disastrous crash at Bristol dropped him 56 points out of the Chase, will start next to Gordon on the outside of the second row Sunday after his lap at 40.188 seconds, 179.158 mph.

Kahne, who won this race in 2006, qualified better than his average of 8.6, and he has six top-10 finishes in nine starts on the 2-mile oval. His average finish is a respectable 13.7.

Martin Truex Jr., for whom the Chase bell likely will toll on Sunday, put in a strong effort for seventh place on the grid in his Chevrolet, clocking in at 40.357 seconds, 178.434 mph.

Truex is in the "I need a miracle" category, trailing 13th place by 263 points with just ACS and Richmond to go, but if enough of those in front of him have trouble, he can climb high enough to take his quest to Virginia. Two of his five starts at ACS have resulted in sixth-place finishes, so the potential is there.

Tony Stewart, another of those who can clinch this weekend, needs to add 20 points to his lead over 13th to get in. He posted the 14th-quickest time, 40.482 seconds at 177.857 mph, to put his Toyota in the field near the front.

Stewart has never won at California in 14 starts, but has a pair of fourth-place finishes to his credit. He has led 225 laps there, and his average finish is 16.0.

Greg Biffle, who trails Stewart by 29 points for sixth place overall, put his Ford next in line with a lap at 40.507 seconds, 177.747 mph. Biffle, like the rest of his Roush Fenway Racing teammates, is deadly at ACS, winning there in 2005 and adding another top-five finish in 11 starts. (Continued)