Three consecutive rainouts of Sprint Cup qualifying is keeping points leader Jimmie Johnson ahead of the field in NASCAR’s premier series.
But his closest pursuers are saying the inclement weather is helping them keep up with Johnson’s blistering pace, too.
Johnson, who holds a 149-point lead on Greg Biffle with four races remaining in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, will start from the pole position in Sunday’s Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
It’s the third straight week that Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet will lead the field to the green after the field was set by points standings because qualifying was canceled.
Greg Biffle, will start second. Jeff Burton, who is 152 points out, starts third in Sunday’s race.
“It makes it sort of boring, takes the excitement out of it because the 12 guys are starting right there,” Biffle said. “A lot of times we’re talking about, ‘Well, this guy is starting 30th, and this guy is 18th.’ Other than that, it’s kind of uneventful for us.”
By starting from the pole, Johnson gets the first stall on pit road and has a rather easy shot at leading the first lap and earning a five-point bonus that will pad his already comfortable lead in the standings. He successfully led the first lap the past two weeks at Charlotte and Martinsville, Va., en route to pulling away from the other title contenders.
“I have mixed emotions about it. It’s great to have that guaranteed pit stall and start where we are, but at the same time, everybody else is right there,” Johnson said. “There’s certain guys that I am racing in the points who are very good qualifiers, others who are not. In one respect, I am excited with starting on pole. Then on the other side of me, I say ‘Well, I still think I could have been top 10 in qualifying and maybe some of the others could have been further back.
“Who knows what could have happened?”
Bryan Clauson and Joey Logano both were sent home without getting a chance to qualify. Johnson said he’d like to see drivers who aren’t guaranteed a spot hold their own qualifying session on Saturday.
“Why not qualify the go-or-go-homers on Saturday,” Johnson said. “We can spend 20 minutes and run those guys and let them earn their way into the show.”
| 
|