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Sprint Cup
CUP: 48 Vs. 2 – Johnson ‘Wins’ Part 1
Jimmie Johnson will start seven spots in front of Brad Keselowski Sunday…
Points leaders Jimmie Johnson (Left) and Brad Keselowski (Right) both enjoyed strong qualifying runs Friday at Texas. (Photo: Getty Images)
Round One goes to Jimmie Johnson.
After landing in mid-pack during a midday practice session, Johnson roared to the fastest lap in qualifying Friday and will start seven positions in front of Brad Keselowski, his main Chase competition, in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
For the second straight week, Johnson controlled the first day of competition on a Sprint Cup weekend. He won the pole last week at Martinsville and also finished first in the race to pass Keselowski for the point lead.
Keselowski wasn’t down in the dumps post-qualifying, however. Quite the opposite, in fact. Friday’s eighth-place run was his best time-trial effort in 10 races, an indication that the Penske Racing team has a strong Dodge for Sunday’s race.
“It feels like a pole,” Keselowski said. “It might not be, but it feels like it. Our car has had a ton of speed since we got here in race trim, but qualifying trim has been our weak point. I think that bodes very well for us Sunday.”
Johnson leads Keselowski by two points with three races to go, and many observers say the Chase now is a two-car battle.
In that vein, Johnson’s pole run Friday might mean more psychologically than physically. He outran Keselowski on pole day and race day last week and will be looking to complete the double again in Texas.
“My guys work their guts out to give me a good car week in and week out,” Johnson said. “It’s the most exciting lap I’ve had in a long, long time.”
The run was a little surprising after Johnson was essentially average in practice.
“We didn’t unload like we wanted to,” he said. “The track was so fast for the first 15 minutes. It was a missed opportunity to post a good time. Then the pace slowed up a lot. But I felt like we were in contention. I think it surprised all of us to lay one down like that.”
The pole win, Johnson’s fourth this season, will give him momentum rolling into Sunday as he and Keselowski wrestle for the high ground with only three weeks left in the season.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
After landing in mid-pack during a midday practice session, Johnson roared to the fastest lap in qualifying Friday and will start seven positions in front of Brad Keselowski, his main Chase competition, in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
For the second straight week, Johnson controlled the first day of competition on a Sprint Cup weekend. He won the pole last week at Martinsville and also finished first in the race to pass Keselowski for the point lead.
Keselowski wasn’t down in the dumps post-qualifying, however. Quite the opposite, in fact. Friday’s eighth-place run was his best time-trial effort in 10 races, an indication that the Penske Racing team has a strong Dodge for Sunday’s race.
“It feels like a pole,” Keselowski said. “It might not be, but it feels like it. Our car has had a ton of speed since we got here in race trim, but qualifying trim has been our weak point. I think that bodes very well for us Sunday.”
Johnson leads Keselowski by two points with three races to go, and many observers say the Chase now is a two-car battle.
In that vein, Johnson’s pole run Friday might mean more psychologically than physically. He outran Keselowski on pole day and race day last week and will be looking to complete the double again in Texas.
“My guys work their guts out to give me a good car week in and week out,” Johnson said. “It’s the most exciting lap I’ve had in a long, long time.”
The run was a little surprising after Johnson was essentially average in practice.
“We didn’t unload like we wanted to,” he said. “The track was so fast for the first 15 minutes. It was a missed opportunity to post a good time. Then the pace slowed up a lot. But I felt like we were in contention. I think it surprised all of us to lay one down like that.”
The pole win, Johnson’s fourth this season, will give him momentum rolling into Sunday as he and Keselowski wrestle for the high ground with only three weeks left in the season.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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