Points leader Jimmie Johnson would lay down a lap of 25.858 seconds to take the pole award for the AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Johnson is coming off a dominating performance at Texas Motor Speedway, where he led 255 laps on the way to victory. He currently leads Matt Kenseth by seven points heading into the final two races of the season. Kenseth qualified 14th.
Denny Hamlin qualified second, followed by Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon.
Clint Bowyer qualified sixth followed by Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr.