Jeff Gordon won the pole for Sunday’s race at Talladega Speedway with a lap at 191.623 mph, according to the Palm Beach Post.

“We all know that sitting on the pole at Talladega doesn’t really guarantee anything for the race,” Gordon said. “The biggest positive is just the fact we’ve had a rough start to the season, not a lot has gone our way other than we’ve had fast cars but not a lot of results to show for it. To me, right now, we’ll just take any kind of positive boost that we possibly can and this is a good one.”

It is Gordon’s first pole since this race last year and the 71^st of his career, according to the Post. Gordon has just two top finishes in the season’s first nine races and is ranked 17^th in the Sprint Cup Series standings.

“One win is not going to turn our entire season around, but it’s definitely something we would welcome,” Gordon said. “Anything positive would be a great thing for us.”

Jeff Gordon was in the worst crash of his career today at the Budweiser Shootout, but he appears to be OK:

#JeffGordon in a huge wreck! #JG says he is fine. #Team24 #NASCAR

—
Jeff Gordon (@JeffGordonWeb) February 19, 2012

Gordon’s Chevrolet crashed into Kurt Busch’s car and flipped over before skidding a long distance on its side and overturning again. Miraculously, he was able to emerge from the car and walk away.

The crash came toward the end of the race, with just two laps to go. Kyle Busch ultimately won the race, edging Tony Stewart.

In honor of NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon’s 85^th career victory, North Carolina has agreed to re-name a stretch of I-85 the “Jeff Gordon Expressway,” according to Business Insider.

The 1.6 mile stretch will be in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, an area just outside the Charlotte city limits. NASCAR originally proposed the idea to the county in light of his recent victory milestone as well as his notable charitable work, and the Mecklenburg County Board of County Commissioners have reportedly agreed.

Gordon will join fellow racers Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Junior Johnson who have also had roads named after them in the area.

The 40-year-olds 85^th victory came this September when he won the AdvoCare500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.