Rain forced NASCAR officials to cancel Friday’s Sprint Cup Series qualifying at Pocono Raceway. Therefore, the starting lineup for Sunday’s Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 will be set by owner points, according to the rule book.
Tony Stewart will start on the pole since he is currently atop the owner standings.
Sprint Cup qualifying has been cancelled five times so far this year, including last month’s Pocono 500, due to inclement weather. MiamiHerald.com
Qualifying for the June’s race at Pocono also was rained out and Stewart was awarded the pole. He wrecked the next day in practice, forcing him to the back of the field. Smoke responded with his first Cup points race victory as owner/driver.
Stewart holds a 192-point lead in the points standings over last week’s winner Jimmie Johnson. The Associated Press
Jimmie Johnson, second in the Cup standings, will start beside Stewart on the outside of the front row. Third place Jeff Gordon gets the third position, with Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin and Juan Montoya starting fourth through 10th, respectively.
Though starting up front certainly is an advantage, Stewart proved June 7 that it’s not a necessity. Though he was awarded the pole because of a rainout, he started at the rear of the field after damaging his car during practice and going to a backup. Stewart worked his way forward and eventually won the race by conserving fuel.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Pennsylvania 500 - Race Line-Up
“You don’t have to be on the pole to win here,” Stewart said. “It’s not a deal-breaker to start 43rd. ... It really was a benefit having that first pit selection last time, especially our situation of myself crashing the car during practice and having to go to the back for race day.
“That helped us gain a lot of spots on pit road. It helped take what could have been an extremely long day and make it a good day.” NASCAR
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