NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Johnson Wins Martinsville Pole
Jimmie Johnson qualifies first as he pursues Brad Keselowski for Chase lead…
Mike Hembree  |  Posted October 26, 2012   Martinsville, VA
Jimmie Johnson, trailing Brad Keselowski by seven points in the race for the Sprint Cup championship, made a big step in the pursuit Friday by winning the pole for Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Johnson turned in a fast lap of 97.598 miles per hour to win his third pole of the year.

Meanwhile, Keselowski had another poor qualifying session, finishing 32nd on the list.

“I don’t enjoy qualifying like crap,” Keselowski said. “That’s not what I come to the track to do. But it’s been the course of late. We take solace in the fact that in the actual racing my team has done a good job on all levels. That’s what we have that’s going right.

“I feel confident it will work its way out. It’s a very long race with 500 laps around here. There’s a lot of tools in our toolchest to help us recover from that.”

Of course, drivers win races from deep in starting fields, but Martinsville, flat and slow, is one of the tougher tracks to make big moves. Johnson, however, said he won’t be overconfident because of Keselowski’s poor starting spot.

“I started 22nd here in the spring and ended up racing for the win (he finished 12th),” Johnson said. “I don’t want to count them out. It would be foolish to think they would be in harm’s way and not be able to race through it. With strategy here, if there is an opportunity Paul (Paul Wolfe, Keselowski’s crew chief) won’t let it slide by.

“As a competitor, I have to expect the best out of the guys we’re racing. I don’t want to put my guard down. It’s playoff time. Everybody brings their best stuff.”

Johnson will have a major advantage, however, by having the first pit stall, a key at Martinsville. Keselowski will have poorer pit access.

Following Johnson in the top five Friday were Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton and Denny Hamlin, who is third in points, 20 behind Keselowski.

In the second five were Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard and Aric Almirola.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., returning to the circuit after missing two races because of concussions, qualified 20th.

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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