Mother Nature handed points leader Jimmie Johnson the pole position for Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, raining on the parade of the 11 other drivers hoping to keep the two-time and defending champion from adding to his Chase lead.
Of course, Johnson on the pole at Lowe’s Motor Speedway is like handing him the keys to Bank of America’s vault: Johnson has five victories, eight top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in 14 starts on the 1.5-mile oval.
He’s the points leader, and by virtue of owner points, he’ll start on the pole for Saturday’s race due to persistent rain and mist over the speedway. The last time he started from the pole, he led 334 of 400 laps in winning the Coca-Cola 600 back in 2004. As such, his average finish is 9.1.
The field was set based on owner points. Johnson and Carl Edwards, 72 points behind the leader, will start on the front row Saturday night in the midpoint race in the Chase for the championship.
“The advantage we had years back has kind of gone away,” Johnson said. “Kasey Kahne has more momentum here than just about anyone so far over the last two or three years. We’ve been right there. We’ve been a good top five car, but I hope we can get that magic back and find it here.”
Greg Biffle, 77 points behind Johnson, will start third, followed by Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick.
Kasey Kahne, who swept the All-Star race and Coca-Cola 600 at LMS in the spring, will start 15th. But while he’s the hottest driver at the track, Johnson still earns respect at the place he once owned.
“I do think it’s a big advantage to start up front,” Johnson said. “The track has changed a lot, especially with this new asphalt that is down and the tire that we run on it.”
With the Bank of America 500 in Charlotte, N.C., Johnson has pushed his points lead to its highest total of the season (albeit a hardly insurmountable 72 points) as he prepares to make his 250th career start.
“I’m fortunate to be able to do what I love for a living,” Johnson says. “I’m so thankful for the success this team has had. I also know that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the work of (crew chief) Chad (Knaus) and my guys. This sport is a total team effort, and I am so lucky to have such an awesome team.
“I can’t believe this weekend is my 250th start. I’ve been very lucky in my career that I’ve had one sponsor, Lowe’s, since I started racing. It somehow seems fitting that we’ll be able to celebrate that occasion together at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.”
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