Michael Waltrip, left, signs autographs after taking the pole position during qualifying for today's UAW-Ford 500. Waltrip had the fastest time Saturday at Talladega, Ala.

Talladega, Ala. ? Michael Waltrip led a charge of “go-or-go-home” entries to the top of the grid Saturday in qualifying for the UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

The top 35 cars in NASCAR Nextel Cup owners points are guaranteed a spot in the 43-car field each week, and it was the drivers who had to make it on speed and worked strictly on qualifying in Friday’s practice who dominated in time trials for today’s race, the superspeedway debut of the Car of Tomorrow.

Waltrip, who has struggled through a generally miserable season, managed to make the race lineup for the third straight week, but only the 11th time this season, as he earned his fourth career pole and first since June 2005 at Pocono.

He turned a lap of 189.070 mph on the 2.66-mile oval, with Dave Blaney second at 188.838.

“I felt confident yesterday we would make the race,” Waltrip said. “I wasn’t thinking about the pole. Honestly, it’s more important to me that we have all three (Michael Waltrip Racing) cars in the top eight.”

All of those eight were drivers who had to qualify, including former Formula One champion and Indy 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve, making his Cup debut, and Waltrip’s teammates David Reutimann and Dale Jarrett.

Rookie A.J. Allmendinger, Boris Said, Scott Riggs, Sam Hornish Jr., another open-wheel driver and Indy 500 winner hoping to make his Cup debut, and Jeremy Mayfield qualified ninth, 10th, 11th, 13th and 15th, respectively, but were bumped out of the field by drivers in the top 35 in points.

Waltrip, Blaney and defending race winner Brian Vickers swept the first three positions for Toyota, and Camrys took six of the top eight spots, although Jarrett, who was eighth, will have to start 43rd under NASCAR’s somewhat strange qualifying format.