RICHMOND, Va. - Rookie Denny Hamlin, as calm and cool as ever, grabbed the pole for Saturday night’s NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Richmond, by far the biggest challenge yet for the precocious youngster.

“I think qualifying up front is going to be a big deal,” Hamlin said after wrapping up his third pole of the season and the fourth of his brief career with a lap of 127.986 mph. “I hope we can lead at least one lap and then just hang in there and get a good finish.”

The 25-year-old Hamlin is one of eight drivers battling for seven remaining spots in the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship, a 10-race showdown that begins next week at Loudon, N.H.

Most of the contenders came out strong in Friday night’s qualifying on the .75-mile oval, but there were some disappointments, too.

Right behind Hamlin were Jeff Burton, currently holding the 10th and final spot in the Chase by 30 points over Kasey Kahne, at 127.805, and four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, fourth in the standings, at 127.690.

Gordon, who failed to make the Chase last year after coming to Richmond with an outside chance of getting into the top 10, said he is a lot more comfortable this year, although still vulnerable, 102 points in front of Kahne.

“I was a lot more nervous last year,” Gordon said. “We had to win the race and lead the most laps to have any chance of getting in. I feel like this year we’re more consistent and a better team overall.

“Still, you know there are a lot of little things that can happen out there that make you nervous.”

Burton, having his best season in several years, said he isn’t too worried about what happens Saturday night.

“If any of us who are in right now don’t make the show, we at least know we deserve to be in it,” Burton said. “It’s much worse for somebody who knows they aren’t going to be in the Chase no matter what they do.”

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Mark Martin, two points in front of Burton in ninth, qualified fourth, followed by third-place Kevin Harvick. Kyle Busch, fifth in the points, was 12th.

“It doesn’t really matter where we start,” said Martin, a four-time series runner-up in his last full-time Cup season. “If the thing will race that good, we’ll be OK.”

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Current points leader Matt Kenseth, who along with runner-up Jimmie Johnson already have clinched starting spots in the Chase, was 10th in qualifying, while Johnson was a disappointing 19th. Harvick has all but wrapped up a spot in the Chase, as well.

Kahne, coming off a win last week in California that helped him close in on the top 10, was 20th in qualifying, while sixth-place Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won here in May, was 33rd. Defending series champion Tony Stewart, who had to go to a backup car after crashing his primary entry in practice Friday morning, was 40th.

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Gordon said he expects Stewart, a three-time Richmond winner, to overcome his poor starting spot.

“Tony runs so good here, it’s hard to say that’s much of a hole for him,” Gordon said. “He always seems to finish well here.”