NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Johnson Looks To Rebound From Spot One
Jimmie Johnson starts from the No. 1 position on Sunday at Dover...
Mike Hembree  |  Posted September 25, 2010   Dover, DE
Jimmie Johnson has won the last four NASCAR Sprint Cup titles. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
The bear has been poked.

You never poke the bear.

It’s possible that the worst thing that could have happened to the other 11 Chase for the Sprint Cup contenders was Jimmie Johnson's poor finish – 25th – in last week’s Chase opener at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Johnson was the last of the 12 Chase drivers in the finishing order and will start Sunday’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway from sixth in points.

Add Johnson’s bad day at Loudon and his past success at Dover, and other championship hopefuls could be in for a long day Sunday.

It started Friday when Johnson won the pole, his third at Dover and the 25th of his Sprint Cup career.

“This is certainly a step in the right direction for momentum,” Johnson said. “Last weekend we ran much better than where we finished. It stinks that we finished where we did, but there is nothing we can really do about it, and to come out this weekend and qualify on the pole just starts the weekend off on the right foot.”

On more technical terms, Johnson got a big boost from the prize that comes with the pole – first choice of pit stalls.

“It really creates a good situation for us in the race having that first pit stall,” he said. “Track position is very, very important here. It seems to be more important as each weekend and each year goes by. It’s all small little steps now, and track position is one of the few big steps left in our sport. And the best way to get that track position is by qualifying on the front row or up front, and we did that. Hopefully we can maintain that track position throughout the race and have a good finish.”
VIDEO: NASCAR Sprint Cup Qualifying - Dover Jimmie Johnson wins the pole. (Image: SPEED)

Dover’s pit road is tight, so having the first stall gives Johnson’s team a little breathing room.

“Dover is such a tough track to pass on,” Johnson said, “especially early in the race and on the short-run side of it. The most important thing is pit road, and it is a very dangerous pit road. Even for the crew guys in a certain respect, but just from the car standpoint, you can get hit in the left front; you can get smashed in the wall. All kinds of damage can take place.

“You can get pinned in your pit box, so to have that first pit box is everything.”

Two Cup practice sessions – 12:30 p.m. and 1:50 p.m. ET – are scheduled at the track Saturday. Both will be broadcast live by SPEED.

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

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