Vasser on Milwaukee pole.

Champ Car fan favourite Jimmy Vasser broke PKV Racing's pole-less streak with fastest time in Friday's sole qualifying session for the Time Warner Cable Road Runner 225 at Milwaukee.

Celebrating his 200th consecutive Champ Car start, the 1996 Champion turned a quickest lap of 21.081-seconds around the 1.032-mile flat banked oval to snatch the extra championship point on offer for pole position and deny AJ Allmendinger.

Crash.Net columnist Allmendinger completed the first all-American Champ Car front row in more than six years with a quickest lap of 21.109-seconds, narrowly edging out his RuSPORT teammate Justin Wilson, the Englishman almost making it two consecutive front row starts.

Vasser's PKV Racing teammate Cristiano da Matta will start fourth for his best start since returning to the series with Paul Tracy and Championship leader-elect Sebastien Bourdais sharing row three.

Defending Milwaukee winner Ryan Hunter-Reay will start seventh with Oriol Servia ninth on his first appearance in Newman-Haas Racing colours.

Only 17 cars will start Saturday's race with Jensen Motorsports now absent until at least July, no PKV run Mexican branded entry and no replacement for Servia in Dale Coyne's financially stretched squad.