One tiny mistake in Happy Hour Saturday moved Jimmie Johnson from the pole to the back row for Sunday’s Lifelock 400.
Johnson spun and brushed the wall in the final practice session at Kansas Speedway, damaging the left front quarter panel and hood on his No. 48 Chevrolet.
“I just lost it in Turn 3,” Johnson said. “The car was kind of loose. It just got out from underneath me. We definitely didn’t need that.”
The team immediately unloaded the back-up car, but switching cars means Johnson must give up his pole position and start the race at the back of the field. Terry Blount, ESPN.com
Jimmie Johnson gave himself no chance at winning the pole for Sunday’s Nextel Cup LifeLock 400 at Kansas Speedway.
His tires were chattering, and his Chevrolet wouldn’t turn the way he wanted during Friday’s qualifying.
But Johnson, the defending Nextel Cup champion, turned in a lap at 175.063 mph and took his second pole in five years at Kansas Speedway. RANDY COVITZ, The Kansas City Star
Johnson, who on Friday earned the pole for Sunday’s Lifelock 400, was leading late in the 2006 race when he pitted for a splash of gas with four laps to go. He was hit with a penalty for speeding on pit road, dropped to 14th and watched as Tony Stewart ran out of fuel and crawled across the finish line for the victory.
“I’ve put the majority of it behind me,” said Johnson, who went on to win last year’s Nextel Cup title and sits third in the Chase standings going into this weekend. “One thing that’s on my mind from last year is how the end of this race was a fuel mileage race, and hopefully tomorrow we can make some adjustments to the car and make sure our carburetor is adjusted right.” CanadianPress
Defending race champion Tony Stewart qualified 20th.
Ryan Newman, the 2003 winner at Kansas Speedway, qualified second but his car failed post-qualifying inspection. Newman will be forced to start 43rd on Sunday.
Johnson, a six-time winner this season, said nothing felt right on either of his two qualifying laps.
“The car just wouldn’t turn like I wanted it to,” he said. “It was so tight that the tires were chattering. I thought I was going to knock the wall down coming out of (Turns) 3 and 4. But we ended up putting down a pretty good lap.” DUANE FRAZIER, The Wichita Eagle
| 
|