Will Davison claimed pole for the first part of this weekend's V8 Supercars finale in Sydney, while title rivals Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes will line up fifth and 10th on the grid.
Whincup had been quickest in the first part of qualifying, which decided the 10 drivers that would go through to the single-lap pole shootout. But he could not replicate his pace in the decisive session and had to settle for fifth on the grid, half a second down on Davison's Ford Performance Racing Falcon.
Whincup fared better than his Triple Eight Holden teammate Craig Lowndes, who had several adventures in first qualifying before making the shoot-out cut, and then clipped the Turn 1 wall and spun at Turn 9 on his pole bid, leaving him 10th.
Garry Rogers Holden driver Lee Holdsworth took the outside front row spot, splitting the FPR cars as Mark Winterbottom claimed third. Shane van Gisbergen (Stone Brothers Ford) completed row two, with Jonathon Webb and Tim Slade having strong runs to sixth and seventh behind Whincup.