Jimmie Johnson’s run for his fourth straight Cup title starts from the pole.
Johnson turned a lap of 173.919 mph on Friday to top qualifying at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a big boost for the Hendrick Motorsports star as he tries to become the first driver in NASCAR history to win four consecutive championships. The Associated Press
Johnson, who can lock up the Cup title with a finish of 25th or better at the 1.5-mile track, said he “lessened the odds” of a title-robbing calamity by earning the top starting position. The pole is Johnson’s fourth of the season, his second at Homestead and the 23rd of his career.
“I’m definitely excited for the track position and [the choice of] that first pit stall,” Johnson said. “One thing that you probably might know is how difficult pit road is here, with the sun setting, to find your pit box, or even see the parameters of your pit box. So there’s a lot of reasons to qualify well, and I’m very happy that I did.
“There is some relief, but at the same time, I’m trying to keep it simple—yes, [Friday’s behind us, sleep well [Friday night], but treat [Saturday] like a whole new day, first day at the track, start all over again.” NASCAR
He will be boxed in by two drivers with no career wins and just nine top-10 finishes between them.
Late starting times and cooler conditions helped relative unknowns Scott Speed and Marcos Ambrose qualify second and third, respectively.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Ford 400 at Homestead - Race Line-Up
While anything can happen at 170 mph, both Speed and Ambrose seemed to understand the significance of the race, and their roles in it.
No driver has ever won four consecutive Sprint Cup Series titles. Short of a wreck, Johnson likely will change that Sunday.
Ambrose, who is 18th in points in his first full season on the circuit, talked about Johnson in angelic terms, claiming his No. 48 car has a halo around it.
``I’ll be following him into Turn 1,’’ Ambrose said. ``I guarantee he knows the line. You don’t want to be the guy who takes his championship away from. I don’t want to do the wrong thing by him.’’ MiamiHerald.com
Martin and Tony Stewart round out the top five.
Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, who still has second place within reach, qualified 20th. Johnson, Martin and Gordon are trying to give Hendrick Motorsports a 1-2-3 finish in the season points standings.
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