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Jimmie Johnson is returning to his dominant ways at the perfect time. His latest accomplishment: the fastest qualifying lap of the NASCAR season.
The three-time defending Sprint Cup champion and points leader looked the part Thursday, earning the pole at Lowe’s Motor Speedway with a blistering lap of 192.376 mph.
Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet had the best grip in the rain-delayed qualifying in unseasonably cool conditions.
Mark Martin, sitting second in points, will start second after a lap of 191.816 mph. Kasey Kahne qualified third, followed by Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart. The Associated Press
“It’s obviously a great night to get the pole here; it’s special for us,” Johnson said. “[Friday] is a whole different day with different things we got to worry about making the car go over the long haul. I feel good about things. We had a great day today, and I will sleep well tonight.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. held the previous record for fastest qualifying lap (190.907 m.p.h.) in the COT when he took the pole for the spring 2008 race at Texas.
Johnson enters the 500-mile race with a 12-point advantage over Hendrick Motorsports teammate and closest competitor Mark Martin, who will start alongside Johnson on the front row. MiamiHerald.com
POS CAR DRIVER MAKE 1 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 2 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 3 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge 4 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 5 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 6 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 7 171 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 8 25 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet 9 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 10 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 11 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 12 20 Joey Logano* Toyota 13 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota 14 202 David Gilliland Toyota 15 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 16 82 Scott Speed* Toyota 17 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 18 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 19 7 Robby Gordon Toyota 20 26 Jamie McMurray Ford 21 0 David Reutimann Toyota 22 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 23 16 Greg Biffle Ford 24 96 Bobby Labonte Ford 25 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 26 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge 27 12 David Stremme Dodge 28 99 Carl Edwards Ford 29 6 David Ragan Ford 30 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 31 98 Paul Menard Ford 32 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 33 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota 34 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 35 187 Joe Nemechek Toyota 36 21 Bill Elliott Ford 37 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge 38 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge 39 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 40 113 Max Papis* Toyota 41 34 John Andretti+ Chevrolet 42 7 Casey Mears+ Chevrolet 43 8 Terry Labonte Toyota
