Concord, N.C. ? Jeff Burton used to come to each track, particularly Lowe’s Motor Speedway, as one of the favorites.

He won 17 races in a five-year span, and he finished a career-best third in the final Nextel Cup standings in 2000. Two of those victories came in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s.

But since winning at Phoenix in October 2001, Burton has gone 87 races without a victory. He has only eight top-five finishes combined in the past two seasons.

“We just haven’t done what we needed to do lately,” Burton said Thursday. “You have to put yourself in position to take advantage of any break you get, and we just haven’t done that.”

So far in 2004, he has only one finish in the top 10, a seventh at Talladega, and he comes into Sunday night’s 600 29th in the standings. He qualified 34th as Jimmie Johnson, the last of 52 drivers to make his attempt, set a track record to edge Ryan Newman for the top in qualifying Thursday night.

Johnson ran 187.052 mph — 0.02 seconds better than Newman — for his first pole of the season.

“The way I got through Turns 1 and 2, I knew the car was really hooked up,” Johnson said. “I got a little loose in Turn 3 and had to pause on the gas pedal, and I was a little nervous coming off Turn 4.

“I told the guys, ‘Let me know if I’ve got this thing.’ Shortly thereafter, I heard screaming and yelling, so I figured that was good enough.”

Newman, Jeff Gordon, Elliott Sadler and rookie Brian Vickers rounded out the top five. Matt Kenseth ended up 37th, and point leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 10th.

Burton missed out on a season-turning result two weeks ago at Richmond, when he lost control of his Roush Racing Ford while trying to pass Jeremy Mayfield for the lead and spun through the infield.

That mistake dropped him to the rear of the field, and he eventually ended up 14th.

“I think you take a race like that for the good and the bad,” Burton said. “We had a really good car at Richmond and ran up front and performed well, then we go all the way to the back with the spin.”

Jeff Burton looks out from his garage area as his crew works on his car during practice for the Coca-Cola 600. Burton, who hasn't won since 2001, practiced Thursday at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.