NASCAR driver Joe Nemecheck watches qualifying for today's Aaron's 499 after making his qualifying run Saturday in Talladega, Ala. Nemechek won the pole.

Talladega, Ala. ? It’s been all about Tony Stewart at Talladega Superspeedway, where he’s planted himself inside the spotlight by entering free agency.

He’s backed up the high level of interest being shown in NASCAR’s two-time champion with strong runs on the race track, including a stout qualifying lap Saturday that seemed to lock down the pole position.

Some three hours later, Joe Nemechek stole his thunder.

Nemechek, the 46th of 47 drivers to make a qualifying attempt, knocked Stewart off the pole with a lap of 187.386 mph. It was the first pole since 2005, a span of 93 races, for “Front Row Joe,” and was his fourth career pole at Talladega – best among active drivers.

Stewart, a six-time runner-up at Talladega, had to settle for the second starting spot. He was the seventh driver to make his lap, and his 186.896 held almost the entire session. He’s now qualified inside the top 10 in eight of his 19 Talladega starts, but is still searching for his first win at the track.

Ken Schrader, the final driver to make his qualifying attempt, grabbed the third spot. Driving in his first race for Haas-CNC Racing, which has used a revolving door of drivers since Jeremy Mayfield left the No. 70 Chevrolet earlier this month, Schrader ran a lap at 186.499 mph.