NASCAR at Las Vegas 2015 Results: Race Order, Final Times and Twitter Reaction

Just like that, Jeff Gordon is back atop the NASCAR realm in the early goings of his farewell tour after seizing the pole position in Las Vegas Friday while shattering a track record in the process. 

Gordon not only posted the best time at the track on a day in which the record changed hands multiple times, but the triumph marks his 79th career pole, his third in four Sprint Cup races—and his first at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Goodyear Racing captured the moment: 

Joey Logano, winner two weeks ago in the Daytona 500, finished right behind Gordon to set up an interesting old-new duel for the ages. Rounding out the top five were Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Larson:

Pos.	Driver	Behind
1	Jeff Gordon	LEADER
2	Joey Logano	--0.052
3	Kasey Kahne	--0.056
4	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	--0.084
5	Kyle Larson	--0.103
6	Matt Kenseth	--0.150
7	Ryan Newman	--0.168
8	Martin Truex Jr.	--0.185
9	Jimmie Johnson	--0.193
10	Jamie McMurray	--0.225
11	Brad Keselowski	--0.306
12	Tony Stewart	--0.345
13	David Ragan	--0.287
14	Carl Edwards	--0.310
15	Aric Almirola	--0.318
16	Greg Biffle	--0.325
17	Casey Mears	--0.344
18	Kevin Harvick	--0.346
19	Denny Hamlin	--0.419
20	Clint Bowyer	--0.421

Obviously, Friday's qualifying rounds were tame in comparison to last week's debacle in Atlanta.

Just last week, heavy hitters such as Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Gordon did not make it to the second round after various technical issues delayed the proceedings and allowed only 34 of 47 cars to record a lap in the first round.

The issues prompted NASCAR officials to change the entire day's schedule. NASCAR's managing director of the Sprint Cup Series, Richard Buck, told Kenny Bruce of NASCAR.com Wednesday, "We have a good track record of making adjustments that are in the best interest of the teams and the garage area and the revisions in these upcoming weekend schedules are an example of that."

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Call it a success, although it certainly helps that various drivers smashed track records along the way before Gordon finished things off in emphatic fashion.

On a more human-interest level, Brian Vickers stole the show Friday night beneath the bright lights of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The Michael Waltrip Racing driver was missing in action before Friday, when he made his season debut after recovering from December heart surgery. He told Jenna Fryer of The Associated Press before qualifying that the end result would not override the meaning of being on the track once again:

"

I kind of look at it like a win/win. If we go out there and we do well, that's great. Even if we don't just being able to get back in a race car again and go 200 (mph) is incredible. No matter what the outcome, I'm happy to be here, back in a race car doing something I love.

"

The man who finished 2014 ranked 22nd and the owner of one pole position bowed out of the proceedings after the first round. After, he explained what went wrong in his return to the track, as captured by Fox Sports: NASCAR:

Brad Keselowski, who won the race last year by just 1.53 seconds over Earnhardt Jr., qualified a respectable 11th.

Speaking of the man himself, Earnhardt Jr. now has three top-10 starting positions in a row, something he and his team are obviously happy about so early in the season:

As far as keeping strong momentum alive goes, Friday's winner was Kenseth. He wiped out the dying memories of a 35th-place finish at Daytona with a fifth-place finish at Atlanta last week, then went out and smashed a track record in the second round of qualifying, as NASCAR Stats points out:

Yes, NASCAR Stats tweeted that Jamie McMurray broke the record just a few minutes later—literally— before Gordon did the same in Round 3, but Kenseth's overall performance landed him in sixth place and right in the thick of things.

It shouldn't be a shock to see Kahne, owner of three poles at Las Vegas Motor Speedway—the most among active drivers—so high up the list, either. Not only does he own that particular track, he's started no worse than 13th this year, always within striking distance.

Someone familiar with Kahne's exploits took to Twitter to offer congratulations:

While not as eventful of a qualifying session as in past weeks, Friday's event provided just what the track in Las Vegas needs to be a must-see affair—a star-studded top 10 that promises a show.

Not only a show, but a competitive affair on a wicked-fast track in Sin City that will do much to decide how early positioning in the standings shakes up.

Stats and information courtesy of NASCAR.com unless otherwise specified.