Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted a lap of 189.864 mph (50.436 sec.) in the No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway. The lap places Earnhardt Jr. 18^th on the grid for Sunday’s Aaron’s 499. Earnhardt Jr.’s Hendrick Motorsports was the only car to break the 50-second bracket with his pole-winning lap of 191.624 mph (49.973 sec.).

Discussing the importance of qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway where drafting plays such a vital role in the race, Earnhardt Jr. told reporters, “You can go from the front to the back in a couple of laps. The best thing about qualifying good is getting a good pit selection.”

A.J. Allmendinger, Marcos Ambrose, Aric Almirola and Kasey Kahne made up the remainder of the top five. Current Sprint Cup Series points leader Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Michael Waltrip and Matt Kenseth filled the bottom half of the top ten.

Earnhardt Jr. enters Sunday’s race trailing Biffle by only five points for the Sprint Cup Series points lead.

The Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway begins at 1 p.m. ET on Fox. Pre-race coverage, including an interview with Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip, begins at 12 p.m. ET.