The Associated Press

BROOKLYN, Mich. - In his 13 years in NASCAR's top series, Jeff Gordon has learned when to use finesse and when to charge.

So, making that call Friday was no sweat for the four-time champion. He charged - and the pole was his for the DHL 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

"You know when to push it and when to hold it back," Gordon said. "Today was a day to push it; the car was just about perfect."

Gordon's fast lap of 190.865 mph broke the race qualifying mark of 190.365 set last year by Bobby Labonte. But it fell short of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s track qualifying record of 191.149 at the August race in 2000.

It was Gordon's second pole this season and the 48th of his career.

He led a sweep of the top three spots by Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets, with rookie Brian Vickers second at 190.169 and Jimmie Johnson third at 190.164.

Ryan Newman's Dodge was fourth at 190.064, followed by the Chevy of Robby Gordon at 189.954.

FORMULA ONE: On the first day of practice for the U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis, Rubens Barrichello posted the best laps in both sessions, relegating Ferrari teammate and six-time series champ Michael Schumacher to a secondary role.

"This has been a near perfect start to the weekend," Barrichello said.

His best lap on the 13-turn, 2.06-mile road course was 1:10.365. Anthony Davidson, a test driver for BAR Honda, was second at 1:10.967, Juan Pablo Montoya was third at 1:10.982 for BMW Williams, and Schumacher was fourth at 1:11.036.

CHAMP CARS: Bruno Junqueira added another point to his slim series lead over Patrick Carpentier by winning the provisional pole for the Grand Prix of Portland.

Junqueira earned one point for his fast lap of 59.266 seconds, at an average speed of 119.603 mph. He upped his series points total to 77, two ahead of Carpentier.

Qualifying will continue today.