HAMPTON, Georgia — Rain washed out NASCAR qualifying for the third consecutive week on Friday, giving series leader Jimmie Johnson the pole and the 11 drivers chasing him for the title right on his bumper.
With the field set on points, Greg Biffle, who trails Johnson by 149 points with four races to go, will start second. Jeff Burton, who is 152 points out, starts third in Sunday’s Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“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.”
It’s the ninth pole of the season for Johnson, and four of them have been handed to him because of rain. But that starting spot is critical at this time of the season, when Johnson is closing in on his third straight Sprint Cup title.
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 for the past two weeks at Charlotte and Martinsville, Virginia 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?”
No one got the chance, as a steady rain kept cars off the track for all but a few minutes late Friday.
The track was deluged in water, causing a drainage issue. Once the rain stopped, NASCAR drilled holes in the surface in an attempt to drain the water.
Late in the afternoon, Kevin Harvick took a ride in the pace car to inspect the surface, and deemed it clear for cars. About 15 drivers went out for a quick practice session, but it was halted shortly after it began because of a slow drizzle.
“The two laps that I made, there was so much water on the windshield, we had to stop,” Johnson said.
The rainout prevented Joey Logano from making the field. The 18-year-old rising star has been trying to get his first Cup start in a Joe Gibbs Racing entry, but rain has washed out both attempts.
Logano, who is replacing Tony Stewart at Gibbs next season, was also sent home last month at Richmond.
Bryan Clauson, who was going to attempt his Cup debut in a car for Chip Ganassi Racing entry, also didn’t make the field.
Qualifying results Friday for NASCAR’s Pep Boys Auto 500 on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway (car number in parentheses)
Lap length: 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers)
Note: Qualifying canceled because of rain; lineup set on owner points
1. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 2008 owner points – 1st.
2. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 2008 owner points – 2nd.
3. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 2008 owner points – 3rd.
4. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 2008 owner points – 4th.
5. (07) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 2008 owner points – 5th.
6. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 2008 owner points – 6th.
7. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 2008 owner points – 7th.
8. (20) Tony Stewart, Toyota, 2008 owner points – 8th.
9. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 2008 owner points – 9th.
10. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 2008 owner points – 10th.
11. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 2008 owner points – 11th.
12. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 2008 owner points – 12th.
13. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 2008 owner points – 13th.
14. (8) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 2008 owner points – 14th.
15. (9) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 2008 owner points – 15th.
16. (1) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 2008 owner points – 16th.
17. (12) Ryan Newman, Dodge, 2008 owner points – 17th.
18. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 2008 owner points – 17th.
19. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 2008 owner points – 19th.
20. (26) Jamie McMurray, Ford, 2008 owner points – 20th.
21. (43) Bobby Labonte, Dodge, 2008 owner points – 21st.
22. (5) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 2008 owner points – 22nd.
23. (19) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, 2008 owner points – 22rd.
24. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Dodge, 2008 owner points – 24th.
25. (28) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 2008 owner points – 25th.
26. (44) David Reutimann, Toyota, 2008 owner points – 26th.
27. (15) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 2008 owner points – 27th.
28. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 2008 owner points – 28th.
29. (55) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 2008 owner points – 29th.
30. (41) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, 2008 owner points – 30th.
31. (66) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, 2008 owner points – 31st.
32. (01) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 2008 owner points – 32nd.
33. (22) Dave Blaney, Toyota, 2008 owner points – 33rd.
34. (84) Scott Speed, Toyota, 2008 owner points – 34th.
35. (7) Robby Gordon, Dodge, 2008 owner points – 35th.
36. (77) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, owner winner – 2007.
37. (21) Bill Elliott, Ford, past champion – 1988.
38. (47) Marcos Ambrose, Toyota, owner attepmts -36th.
39. (10) AJ Allmendinger, Dodge, 32 owner attempts – 38th.
40. (96) Ken Schrader, Toyota, 32 owner attempts – 39th.
41. (45) Chad McCumbee, Dodge, 32 owner attempts – 40th.
42. (78) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 32 owner attempts – 42nd.
43. (70) Tony Raines, Chevrolet, 32 owner attempts – 43rd.
Failed to Qualify
44. (40) Bryan Clauson, Dodge, Owner Attempts – 43rd.
45. (02) Joey Logano, Toyota, Owner Attempts – 43rd.
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