Jimmie Johnson wins pole for NASCAR season finale
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HOMESTEAD, FL – Reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who holds an 86-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon heading into the season-ending Ford 400, got off to a great start Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, winning his fourth pole of the season and the 13th of his career.
"We're doing what we need to do on Friday," Johnson said. "We'll just look forward to tomorrow and try to get the car driving as good tomorrow leading into Sunday's race.
"I think it's going to be important to have a comfortable car," added Johnson, who qualified at 176.788 mph on the 1.5-mile oval. "I fall into a rut of dealing with a car that's a little bit on the loose side at times, and hanging onto the car at times. It's my off-road background.
"I want to make sure I have it good and comfortable for me so if I start freaking out in the middle of the race, or I've got to go, I can go and not have to worry about it."
The pole virtually assured Johnson of earning the five-point bonus for leading at least one race lap Sunday. If he does lead a lap, Johnson only needs to finish 19th or better to win the title, regardless of what Gordon, starting 11th, does.
Gordon, who was hoping for a much stronger qualifying effort, was resigned to the fact he won't win the title.
"This weekend, there's very little pressure on us," the four-time Cup champion said. "We're going to finish no worse than second in the points and, unless a miracle happens, we're not going to win the championship.
"Our focus now is on winning this race. The pressure is all on Johnson," added Gordon, who qualified at 175.171.
Johnson looked confident and totally relaxed after qualifying ended.
"It was a long week, with so many things to do and I can't tell you how much just getting in a racecar helped," Johnson said. "I got in the car and everything is right, it feels good. I'm doing my job. Let's just get on with it.
"We're just trying to keep it simple. Do everything the way it's supposed to be done."
Results
POS | CAR | DRIVER | MAKE | SPONSOR | SPEED | TIME | BEHIND |
1 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Lowe's | 176.788 | 30.545 | Leader |
2 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Dodge | ALLTEL | 176.569 | 30.583 | -0.038 |
3 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | Dodge Dealers Lifetime Powertrain Warranty / UAW | 176.350 | 30.621 | -0.076 |
4 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | DEWALT NANO Technology | 176.074 | 30.669 | -0.124 |
5 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Dodge | Miller Lite | 175.942 | 30.692 | -0.147 |
6 | 01 | Mark Martin | Chevrolet | U.S. Army | 175.850 | 30.708 | -0.163 |
7 | 6 | David Ragan* | Ford | AAA "Show Your Card and Save" | 175.850 | 30.708 | -0.163 |
8 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Shell / Pennzoil | 175.707 | 30.733 | -0.188 |
9 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | AT&T Mobility | 175.661 | 30.741 | -0.196 |
10 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Office Depot | 175.370 | 30.792 | -0.247 |
11 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | DuPont | 175.171 | 30.827 | -0.282 |
12 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | M&M's | 175.148 | 30.831 | -0.286 |
13 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | Budweiser | 175.029 | 30.852 | -0.307 |
14 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | The Home Depot | 174.995 | 30.858 | -0.313 |
15 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops / Tracker | 174.803 | 30.892 | -0.347 |
16 | 109 | Sterling Marlin | Chevrolet | Miccosukee Resort & Gaming | 174.786 | 30.895 | -0.350 |
17 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Toyota | Red Bull | 174.774 | 30.897 | -0.352 |
18 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Chevrolet | Kellogg's / CARQUEST | 174.582 | 30.931 | -0.386 |
19 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet | Jack Daniel's | 174.565 | 30.934 | -0.389 |
20 | 36 | Johnny Benson | Toyota | 360 OTC | 174.560 | 30.935 | -0.390 |
21 | 25 | Casey Mears | Chevrolet | National Guard / GMAC | 174.554 | 30.936 | -0.391 |
22 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Chevrolet | Yellow Trans. | 174.531 | 30.940 | -0.395 |
23 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Toyota | Caterpillar | 174.503 | 30.945 | -0.400 |
24 | 18 | J.J. Yeley | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries | 174.368 | 30.969 | -0.424 |
25 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Ford | Crown Royal | 174.340 | 30.974 | -0.429 |
26 | 44 | Dale Jarrett | Toyota | UPS | 174.340 | 30.974 | -0.429 |
27 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Dodge | Target | 174.193 | 31.000 | -0.455 |
28 | 10 | Patrick Carpentier | Dodge | Valvoline / Stanley Tools | 174.098 | 31.017 | -0.472 |
29 | 06 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Dodge | Mobil 1 | 174.076 | 31.021 | -0.476 |
30 | 40 | David Stremme | Dodge | Target | 174.048 | 31.026 | -0.481 |
31 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Dodge | Dodge Dealers Lifetime Powertrain Warranty / UAW | 174.020 | 31.031 | -0.486 |
32 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Chevrolet | FedEx Express | 173.986 | 31.037 | -0.492 |
33 | 42 | Juan Montoya* | Dodge | Texaco / Havoline | 173.829 | 31.065 | -0.520 |
34 | 66 | Jeremy Mayfield | Chevrolet | Best Buy | 173.818 | 31.067 | -0.522 |
35 | 00 | David Reutimann* | Toyota | Burger King | 173.773 | 31.075 | -0.530 |
36 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Dodge | Cheerios / Betty Crocker | 173.762 | 31.077 | -0.532 |
37 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Dish Network | 173.661 | 31.095 | -0.550 |
38 | 88 | Ricky Rudd | Ford | Snickers | 172.889 | 31.234 | -0.689 |
39 | 15 | Paul Menard* | Chevrolet | Johns Manville / Menards | 172.800 | 31.250 | -0.705 |
40 | 45 | Kyle PettyÃ- | Dodge | Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil | 172.331 | 31.335 | -0.790 |
41 | 7 | Robby GordonÃ- | Ford | Camping World/ RVs.com | 172.243 | 31.351 | -0.806 |
42 | 96 | Tony RainesÃ- | Chevrolet | DLP HDTV | 151.732 | 35.589 | -5.044 |
43 | 21 | Bill Elliott | Ford | Motorcraft | Champion's Provisional | ||
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
44 | 84 | A.J. Allmendinger* | Toyota | Red Bull | 173.695 | 31.089 | -0.544 |
45 | 49 | John Andretti | Dodge | OBOVO.com | 172.745 | 31.260 | -0.715 |
46 | 78 | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | Furniture Row Racing | 172.739 | 31.261 | -0.716 |
47 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | Toyota | NAPA Auto Parts | 172.612 | 31.284 | -0.739 |
48 | 4 | Todd Bodine | Chevrolet | Lucas Oil / State Water Heaters | 172.315 | 31.338 | -0.793 |
49 | 208 | Burney Lamar | Dodge | rhino's energy drink | – | – | – |
Ã- Set by Owner Points
* Denotes Rookie