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Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole at Richmond International Raceway in the final race before the Sprint Cup Chase begins.

In doing so he stole the spotlight from teammate and outside pole, Jeff Gordon. And there is Kyle Busch, who is battling for the Wild Card spot in the Chase, down in fifteenth.

After his eleventh career pole, Earnhardt who qualified at 127.023mph, said the win on Saturday night is key. But for Gordon and Busch the pressure is really on.

Earnhardt's arc to become a threat for the Chase began with teaming him with crew chief, Steve Letarte.

"We've been working the last two years to improve ... and this year we made some gains," Earnhardt said. "It feels good to get a pole position and know that we're doing something right there.

"It gives us a good starting spot for [Saturday]. We feel pretty confident about the car after practice [Friday], and starting up front is an advantage. I'm happy that we're performing well and look forward to the race."

Meanwhile four-time champion Gordon told the media before qualifying that he's not going to be a nice guy on Saturday evening if someone, anyone, is in his way. Then after qualifying he said he's fine.

"I think [Friday] was a big mission accomplished for us," Gordon said. "We were very solid in practice all day. I know exactly where I left a little bit out there in [Turns] 1 and 2. I got everything out of it in 3 and 4. But in 1 and 2, I knew I got down to the yellow line too early and just couldn't get back to the gas as hard as I needed to.

"When you do that, you know that there's somebody out there that has a shot of getting you. Second is still a fantastic effort. We had a great practice [Friday], and our car was solid, so [I'm] pretty excited about this race [Saturday night]."

Regan Smith was third in a Chevrolet followed by Clint Bowyer's Toyota. Denny Hamlin, would could be the top seed following Richmond, was seventh fastest

There are a number of different scenarios to play out for the Wild Card which will be resolved on Saturday evening at the three-quarter mile oval.

GM has stopped the sale of several of its most popular 2013 vehicles because of a software glitch that affects their OnStar communication systems.

Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz unit won a U.S. lawsuit that accused the automaker of infringing a patent for a monitor to detect when a motorist is drowsy. The patent, owned by licensing company Ibormeith IP, is invalid, U.S.

Also in this episode: Ford pins European hopes on new models, and a stretch of Texas roadway will have its speed limit

Hyundai is giving fans a chance to see the 2013 PGA Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. All you have to do is go to the companyand#8217;s and#8220;Road to Kapaluaand#8221;

2013 Ford Mustang V6 Premium Coupe

We miss the V-8.

Next to that YouTube video of a baby panda sneezing and the bassline to "Hypnotize" by Notorious B.I.G., one of the greatest sounds you'll ever hear comes from the Ford Mustang's 5.0-liter V-8 when you stand on the throttle. As much as I enjoy the Mustang's V-6, it doesn't compare to the larger engine in sensory experience, and I spent much of my weekend in the green muscle car wishing it had two more cylinders.

Photo Gallery: 2013 Ford Mustang V6 Premium Coupe - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2013 Ford Mustang V6 Premium Coupe - Automobile Magazine

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The Detroit 3 automakers want to avoid a strike and seem willing to engage in "constructive dialogue," the head of the CAW said today, two days after threatening to shut them down if the two sides could not reach a deal soon.

The upcoming Cadillac ELR was spotted on the road, testing in camouflage.

In the last year, we've spent time in two of VW's north-or-south-of-200k twin-turbo machines. The

McLaren is expected to launch a high-performance version of the MP4-12C sports car at the

In 1997, a classic-car dealer in Florida was sent to jail. Among the charges was an attempt to swindle Howard and Norma Weaver out of $30,000, which the couple had put down in 1992 for a '31 DeSoto that had spent seven years in restoration.

Texas is preparing to open a stretch of toll road this November with the highest speed limit in America: 85 mph.

General Motors said today that it will hire 500 information-technology workers to staff a new center in Austin, Texas, an early step in GM's plan to build out its own global IT infrastructure.

Lime Rock Park's Heritage Festival 30 Presented by Jaguar was a rousing success by any measure. The event staged over the Labor Day weekend is actually several events rolled into one.

Last week, the Hell Garage Demons went all luxurious with ancient Detroit limousines.

General Motors has the stamina to turn around its troubled European unit Opel and has already mapped out where it wants to take the brand in the next 10 years, new Opel CFO Michael Lohscheller said in his first interview since assuming the post one...

General Motors Co.

Car production in Brazil rose 10.6% year on year in August while sales in the month increased by 15.3% month over month and 28.2% year over year to 420,100 units in August in the wake of a consumer rush to take advantage of government tax breaks.

The obvious highlight of a very busy first-week-back-from-summer-hols was Ford's new product extravaganza in Amsterdam on Thursday (6 September) which was most interesting and had me thinking back to how much our industry and how we journalists cover it has changed in my 30 years (ye gods!) in the biz.

News 7 Sep, 2012

Watch car chases from 22 Bond movies all wrapped up in one video