Hendrick boys seemed poised for big day at Indy

Coming to Indianapolis Motor Speedway never gets old for Jeff Gordon, and why should it?

He visited often as a kid, watching one Indianapolis 500 in person and many others on television. When the Cup Series started coming to the track to run races in 1994, it was Gordon who won first -- and has won the most often, capturing a total of four victories at the Brickyard.

Lineup
Allstate 400 / Brickyard

Pos. Driver Speed Time

1. J. Johnson 181.763 49.515
2. M. Martin 181.393 49.616
3. R. Newman 180.970 49.732
4. K. Kahne 180.810 49.776
5. J. Gordon 180.545 49.849
6. E. Sadler 180.397 49.890
7. Ku. Busch 180.343 49.905
8. J. McMurray 180.321 49.911
9. C. Edwards 180.209 49.942
10. M. Kenseth 179.917 50.023

• Lineup | Videos | PhotosGordon qualified fifth for this Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and will start on the inside of Row 3. Coupled with the fact that his No. 24 Chevrolet was the fastest in the next-to-last practice session Saturday at Indy, registering a top lap speed of 174.496 mph, it's understandable why he is confident about his chances of capturing his first win of the 2008 season.

"It's just the thoughts of memories that I had as a kid watching at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indy 500, the legends that raced here," Gordon said. "The fact that I get to race on that track, the one those greats competed on when I was watching on TV as a kid, it's just awesome.

"Ever since the first year that we came here and won, having that win under our belt just gets me excited about coming back here each and every year. It doesn't seem to matter what kind of year we're having. I just always feel like we can come here and be competitive."

Of course, Gordon is not the only driver who enters Sunday's event with high hopes. Optimism is running rampant throughout the Hendrick Motorsports operation, with teammate Jimmie Johnson having won the pole in qualifying trim with a speed of 181.763 mph in his No. 48 Chevy and finishing Saturday's final practice session atop the speed charts in race trim with a top lap speed of 175.298 mph.

Gordon posted the second-fastest lap speed in the final practice session (174.958 mph), followed by Denny Hamlin in his No. 11 Toyota (174.408 mph); Carl Edwards in his No. 99 Ford (174.118 mph); and Ryan Newman in his No. 12 Dodge (174.068 mph). Rounding out the top 10 were Mark Martin in the No. 8 Chevy (174.024 mph); Jamie McMurray in the No. 26 Ford (173.839 mph); Kasey Kahne in his No. 9 Dodge (173.564 mph); and rookie Sam Hornish Jr. (173.427 mph), who is no stranger to Indy because the former open-wheel star once won the Indy 500.

Those who struggled during the final practice session included defending race champion Tony Stewart, who has won the event two of the past three years (with Johnson winning the one in between); and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stewart qualified 14th and ranked just 27th in the final practice session with a top speed of 171.910 mph. Earnhardt, who qualified 11th, posted a top speed during the final practice session of 172.894 mph that ranked 18th on the speed charts.