Sparta, KY (Sports Network) - Neither mother nature nor Kyle Busch could stop
Jimmie Johnson from winning the pole for Saturday's Quaker State 400 at
Kentucky Speedway.
Johnson benefited from cooler track temperatures during his qualifying run to
post a lap at 181.818 mph. The five-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion
claimed his 26th career pole but his first since September 2010 at Dover.
Air temperatures reached 100 degrees and the track surface hit 143 degrees at
the start of Friday's qualifying, but powerful winds from a nearby
thunderstorm midway through the session changed things considerably. NASCAR
briefly halted qualifying when strong gusts blew debris on the 1.5-mile
racetrack and knocked over tent areas in the infield.
With dark clouds in the area, temperatures on the track surface dropped nearly
40 degrees from the start of qualifying. Johnson was the 43rd driver to make
his attempt in the 45-car qualifying field.
Busch, who was last in the order since he had the fastest practice speed,
posted a lap at 181.421 mph, which was 0.065 seconds behind Johnson.
Denny Hamlin qualified third, followed by Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman.
Clint Bowyer, who won last Sunday's road-course race at Sonoma, CA, took the
sixth spot, while Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon and Martin
Truex Jr. completed the top-10.
Matt Kenseth, the current points leader, will start 20th. Kenseth holds an 11-
point advantage over second-place and Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg
Biffle, who will roll off 11th.
J.J. Yeley and Mike Skinner failed to qualify for the 400-mile race at
Kentucky, which is scheduled to start just after 7:30 p.m. (ET).
The Sports Network