Jeff Gordon beat Kevin Harvick to pole in a frantic end to NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying at Charlotte on Thursday evening.

Harvick and Gordon were the last two drivers in the 43-car line to qualify for Saturday night’s race. Gordon’s Hendrick teammate Kasey Kahne had been fastest for the majority of the session, having gone out second. But Kahne was convinced he had made costly mistakes on his run and expected to be deposed.

It eventually took 36 cars for that to happen, with Roush Fenway’s Greg Biffle taking over provisional pole.

Biffle’s time held up against a challenge from Jimmie Johnson, but next two cars out Harvick and Gordon both went quicker and ended up sharing the front row.

Gordon’s lap of 27.791 seconds and 194.308mph was 0.015 second faster than Kansas polesitter and winner Harvick’s Richard Childress Chevrolet.

Behind Biffle in third, Gordon’s Hendrick stablemates Johnson, Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr. filled fourth to sixth places. Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya share row four, followed by the Busch brothers.

Montoya’s 2014 Earnhardt Ganassi replacement Kyle Larson is making his Cup debut this weekend with Phoenix. He qualified 21st, only one place behind points leader Matt Kenseth.

Pos  Driver              Team/Car                     Time     Gap 1.  Jeff Gordon         Hendrick Chevrolet           27.791s 2.  Kevin Harvick       Childress Chevrolet          27.806s  +0.015s 3.  Greg Biffle         Roush Fenway Ford            27.841s  +0.050s 4.  Jimmie Johnson      Hendrick Chevrolet           27.865s  +0.074s 5.  Kasey Kahne         Hendrick Chevrolet           27.879s  +0.088s 6.  Dale Earnhardt Jr   Hendrick Chevrolet           27.902s  +0.111s 7.  Ryan Newman         Stewart-Haas Chevrolet       27.913s  +0.122s 8.  Juan Pablo Montoya  Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet  27.919s  +0.128s 9.  Kyle Busch          Joe Gibbs Toyota             27.921s  +0.130s10.  Kurt Busch          Furniture Row Chevrolet      27.963s  +0.172s11.  Aric Almirola       Petty Ford                   27.980s  +0.189s12.  Joey Logano         Penske Ford                  27.983s  +0.192s13.  Paul Menard         Childress Chevrolet          28.015s  +0.224s14.  Clint Bowyer        Waltrip Toyota               28.020s  +0.229s15.  Carl Edwards        Roush Fenway Ford            28.041s  +0.250s16.  Ricky Stenhouse Jr  Roush Fenway Ford            28.072s  +0.281s17.  Martin Truex Jr     Waltrip Toyota               28.091s  +0.300s18.  Denny Hamlin        Joe Gibbs Toyota             28.107s  +0.316s19.  Brian Scott         Childress Chevrolet          28.122s  +0.331s20.  Matt Kenseth        Joe Gibbs Toyota             28.126s  +0.335s21.  Kyle Larson         Phoenix Chevrolet            28.131s  +0.340s22.  Mark Martin         Stewart-Haas Chevrolet       28.157s  +0.366s23.  Brad Keselowski     Penske Ford                  28.162s  +0.371s24.  Bobby Labonte       JTG Daugherty Toyota         28.179s  +0.388s25.  Jamie McMUrray      Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet  28.189s  +0.398s26.  Jeff Burton         Childress Chevrolet          28.203s  +0.412s27.  Brian Vickers       Waltrip Toyota               28.278s  +0.487s28.  Casey Mears         Germain Ford                 28.333s  +0.542s29.  Marcos Ambrose      Petty Ford                   28.339s  +0.548s30.  David Ragan         Front Row Ford               28.369s  +0.578s31.  Cole Whitt          Swan Toyota                  28.370s  +0.579s32.  Landon Cassill      Circle Sport Chevrolet       28.470s  +0.679s33.  Josh Wise           Front Row Ford               28.542s  +0.751s34.  David Gilliland     Front Row Ford               28.561s  +0.770s35.  Danica Patrick      Stewart-Haas Chevrolet       28.583s  +0.792s36.  David Reutimann     BK Toyota                    28.631s  +0.840s37.  Michael McDowell    Parsons Ford                 28.659s  +0.868s38.  Joe Nemechek        NEMCO Toyota                 28.741s  +0.950s39.  Dave Blaney         Baldwin Chevrolet            28.746s  +0.955s40.  Timmy Hill          FAS Lane Ford                28.823s  +1.032s41.  Travis Kvapil       BK Toyota                    28.924s  +1.133s42.  JJ Yeley            Baldwin Chevrolet            29.049s  +1.258s43.  Blake Koch          Leavine Ford                 29.905s  +2.114s