Official Release

Jeff Gordon won the pole in the final round of qualifying for Sunday’s GEICO 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race with a fast lap of 49.160 seconds, 194.793 mph. It marked the 80th career pole for the four-time NSCS champion and third in 2015 to date. It was also the fourth pole in 45 races at Talladega Superspeedway for the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS. He was the pole winner for the season-opening Daytona 500.

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – POLE SITTER "We definitely have a fast Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet. I think we've shown that all weekend long. But you never know what you've got until you put it on the clock. "

ARIC ALMIROLA – No. 43 Fresh From Florida Ford Fusion – “I thought in the draft in practice our car was really good. I was really happy with the way it drove and drafted and it got good runs. It did all of the things I was really looking for, so I’m happy with that. Qualifying is what it is, so we’ll get ready to go race.”

MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - Starting Position: 8th - What did you think of the new qualifying format? “I thought it was fine – it was definitely better than the single car qualifying in the past where you had to wait one car at a time for two laps and it took forever."

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – POLE SITTER "We definitely have a fast Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet. I think we've shown that all weekend long. But you never know what you've got until you put it on the clock."

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Talladega Superspeedway and discussed his thoughts on the new qualifying format at superspeedways, the responsibility he feels to do well at Talladega for his fans and many other topics.

Travis Kvapil, 2003 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion will be taking over driving duties in the No. 50 Burnie Grill Chevrolet Silverado. Starting at the Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway, Kvapil will join the MAKE operation filling the seat that was formly held by Cody Ware.

DAVID RAGAN, No. 18 Pedigree Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - How does it feel to return to a track where you have won? "Any track you can come back to that you've won at before is a great feeling. You always relive some of those memories driving through the tunnel and the security guards give you a little extra courtesy if you don't have a parking pass or something – they'll let you in a little easier – but, yeah, it's great coming back to Talladega."

Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) and partner SHOP.COM have taken the Sprint Fan Vote to a new level and are calling all fans to join in. By voting for the driver of the No. 9 Ford, Sam Hornish Jr., for the Sprint Fan Vote, fans can send campers to Victory Junction. The camp was founded by the Petty family, in honor of Adam Petty, for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.

ERIK JONES, No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - What are your expectations this weekend at Talladega? "It's always pretty fun to come here. We ran one race last year here in the Truck Series and to be back now in the XFINITY Series is pretty cool. We had a fast car in our first and only practice. I feel pretty good about it. It's always interesting to come run these superspeedway races and I'm really looking forward to just getting the race going tomorrow."