If qualifying is any indication of how the championship race might shape up in Sunday’s NASCAR season finale, Jimmie Johnson appears to have an edge over Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick.
Kasey Kahne turned a lap of 176.904 mph to win the pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday, but the focus was on the Sprint Cup series’ three title contenders.
Johnson qualified sixth, while Harvick was 28th and Hamlin was 38th on the speed chart—although he’ll actually line up in the 37th spot on Sunday because of NASCAR’s qualifying rules for teams that aren’t in the top 35 in points. ESPN
Johnson qualified sixth at 176.482 mph. It was only the second time in the last eight races (he was eighth at Auto Club Speedway) that Johnson qualified in the top 10.
But Johnson hasn’t been alone in his struggles. Harvick started in the top 10 just once in the final 14 races (eighth at Michigan). Hamlin won his second pole of the season on the short track at Martinsville. That was his only top-10 start in the final eight races.
“I made a joke about it last weekend and said that we’ve been in a world-class pillow fight in qualifying,” said Johnson before his qualifying run. “Nobody is qualifying well. … I guess it’s a non-factor. Ideally, you want to start up front. We all know that. But it doesn’t mean you can’t win from behind.”
Hamlin proved that in last year’s Ford 400, rolling from 38th place to victory lane.
Hamlin was so far off in Friday’s practice (30th), that crew chief Mike Ford opted to run teammate Kyle Busch’s setup for qualifying.
Both Hamlin and Busch (who qualified 33rd) had trouble keeping their cars off the wall.
“It looked just like Kyle’s lap,” Hamlin said. “We didn’t improve. Fridays just haven’t been our strong suit so we have to battle back again.” USA Today
Kahne will undergo arthroscopic surgery on both knees Tuesday to correct a congenital condition. Kahne characterized the elective surgery as cleaning up the areas around his knees.
“I look forward to Sunday’s race,” said Kahne, who won his fourth pole of the season (three of which came with Richard Petty Motorsports) and the 20th of his career. “It’ll be exciting, being up front and being in the mix. Denny, Harvick and Jimmie—they’re all going to be fast throughout the race. I’m glad we are [fast] so far. I hope we can stick with it [Saturday], have a good practice and be competitive and in the mix on Sunday.”
Jamie McMurray claimed the third starting position, followed by Bill Elliott and A.J. Allmendinger. Michael McDowell and Patrick Carpentier failed to qualify for the 43-car field. NASCAR.com
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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Ford 400 at Homestead - Race Line-Up
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