Fort Worth, TX (Best E Casino) - Nextel Cup Series points leader Jeff Gordon will start on the pole for Sunday's Samsung 500 Nextel Cup race at the Texas Motor Speedway after weather first delayed and then cancelled Friday's qualifying session.

The starting grid will be based on current owner points which places the No.24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on the pole.

Starting alongside Gordon will be Jeff Burton who is second in the standings.

Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth will make up row two.

Hendrick Motorsports will attempt to join the rarified air of those who have won five consecutive Nextel Cup races. Only five times in the series' long history has anyone achieved the feat. Petty Enterprises did it four times and Carl Kiekhaefer did it once.

Rick Hendrick can join that elite group with a win on Sunday. The last four events have included three Johnson wins and one from Kyle Busch. But although Hendrick Motorsports have had good results at the Texas Motor Speedway, they have yet to make a trip to Victory Lane.

Gordon is tied with Mark Martin for the most top-fives at Texas with four and finished ninth-place last November. For the current points leader, Texas stands as one of just three current tracks at which the four-time series champion has not won (also Homestead and Phoenix). Johnson has never finished worse than 11th in seven career starts and Busch finished fourth last fall.

Other selected drivers and their starting positions: Kyle Busch (5th), Martin (6th), Tony Stewart (9th), Kevin Harvick (11th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (12th), Juan Montoya (16th) and Kurt Busch (17th).

For Kurt Busch the rain was a lucky break after he crashed his primary car in the final practice. The No.2 Roush Fenway Racing Ford driver will use his backup car in the race.

The race is set to drop the green flag on Sunday at 2 p.m. (et).