Martinsville, Va. ? Four-time champion Jeff Gordon is looking at a more modest goal with only five races left in the 2003 season.

“We’re within striking distance of second place,” Gordon said Friday, minutes before winning the pole for the Subway 400 at Martinsville Speedway.

He goes into Sunday’s 500-lap event on the .526-mile oval sixth in the season standings and riding a string of five straight fifth-place finishes.

“I think our realistic goals are to try to get back in the top five and take a shot at second,” Gordon said.

Gordon is 407 points behind Winston Cup series leader Matt Kenseth, but only 140 behind runner-up Kevin Harvick.

“We just have to keep digging,” Gordon said. “I think we’ve put a team out there good enough to win the championship and just haven’t had the results.

“That’s nobody’s fault but ours,” he said. “But just a few things have happened that didn’t help us stay near the top.”

Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet turned a fast lap of 93.650 mph Friday, giving him his fourth pole of the season, second in a row on Martinsville’s paper-clip shaped oval and the 46th of his career.

The pole start in April led to Gordon’s only win of the season.

“I was pretty excited when I saw how good the car was here when it came off the truck,” Gordon said. “We didn’t test (here) like a lot of the other teams, and we hoped a few little things we’ve learned all year would step us up a notch. That’s what happened.”

Jeff gordon speaks with reporters after winning the pole position for Sunday's NASCAR Subway 500. Gordon finished first in qualifying Friday in Martinsville, Va.

Ward Burton, making his final start for Bill Davis Racing before moving to Haas CNC Racing, was second in qualifying at 92.180 in the No. 22 Dodge. Jason Leffler, who will make way for Burton next week at Atlanta in the No. 0 Pontiac, qualified 34th.

Burton, who will be replaced by Busch Series regular Scott Wimmer, said it was an emotional weekend for him and the Davis team after just over eight full seasons together.

“We’ve had some good times and we’ve had some trying times and, right now, we’re in the middle of the trying times,” Burton said. “It’s emotional but it didn’t start yesterday. It started in August when I knew we weren’t going to be together as long as we thought we’d be.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., trailing Harvick by just 57 points in the standings, qualified third at 93.015, followed by Kenny Wallace at 92.851 and Harvick at 92.851.

Earnhardt said his No. 8 Chevy team tested at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina to prepare for this race.

“We’ve been running real good here lately, but we went and tested anyway,” he said. “I’m really trying to go after the win this weekend. I think we have a great opportunity. The car seems to be on a par as far as where it was last time we were here and it was a good race-winning car then.”

Earnhardt, who said he got held up by runner-up Bobby Labonte’s car late in the spring race here, finished third in that event.

Ryan Newman, leading the series with eight victories this season and coming off a second-place finish last week at Charlotte, was eighth at 92.787, right behind Penske Racing teammate Rusty Wallace’s 92.796.

Charlotte winner Tony Stewart was 16th at 92.380.

Also making their final starts for their current teams, Mike Skinner qualified the No. 01 MB2 Pontiac 11th at 92.560 and Joe Nemechek was 22nd at 92.285 in the No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Nemechek will replace Skinner next week at Atlanta and will be replaced in the No. 25 by 19-year-old Brian Vickers, moving up from the Busch Series.