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Jimmie Johnson scored the pole for Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images Photo) ยป More Photos
Two-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson claimed the pole for Sunday’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard with a lap of 181.763 miles per hour around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Johnson, who won this race in 2006 but also has had several incidents, earned his first Brickyard pole in his Chevrolet Impala SS, besting Mark Martin, who next year will be Johnson’s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports. Martin’s Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevy qualified at 181.393 mph.
“This track has been so feast or famine for us,” said Johnson. “We've either won or been on fire, wrecked. We were on fire, wrecked last year. I hope this year it switches over to winning and kissing the bricks on the frontstretch.”
Chad Knaus, Johnson’s crew chief on the No. 48 Hendrick Chevy, said he expects a challenging race on Sunday. “It’s going to be tough, there’s no doubt about it,” said Knaus. “… In single-lap runs, the car is fine. When we get out there with a lot of other people it’s going to be difficult to pass, typical of what we see here. But the Lowe’s Chevrolet is running great. I’m really excited about it.”
The usually pessimistic Martin said he likes his chances in the big race. “It wasn't a full-fledged Muhammed Ali, but I do have a lot of confidence coming in here,” Martin said of his earlier statements that he expects to win on Sunday. “I really, really like the way our car worked at Phoenix and Richmond, and I feel that these corners are a lot like those. I just think that with limited track time here for everyone that we can maybe hit the target closer than most.”
Third fastest in qualifying was Indiana native and Penske Racing lame duck Ryan Newman, who qualified at 180.970 mph. As a Hoosier, Newman said the Brickyard holds special significance for him. “I’m walking in the same footprints and footsteps as A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti,” said Newman. “Whether it’s Jim Clark or Jim Hurtubise or people like that, to know that I’m stepping in their footprint as I walk to the race car, that to me is what’s special. They’re my heroes just as much as anybody else right now.”
Behind Newman in fourth place was another Dodge, this one the
Completing the top five was four-time Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon in a second Hendrick Chevrolet. “This could turn out to be a really exciting race from a strategy standpoint,” said Gordon, who will be looking to join former Formula 1 superstar Michael Schumacher as the only drivers to win five races at IMS. “You know, I don't know if we're gonna see maybe as much side-by-side racing or passing that maybe some people would like to see. But I think as far as excitement and a great race and an exciting finish, I still think you're going to see that.”
The second five consisted of Elliott Sadler, Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth. Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified 11th, three spots ahead of two-time and defending race winner Tony Stewart.
The four drivers failing to qualify for Sunday’s race were Johnny Sauter, Stanton Barrett, Tony Raines and Bill Elliott.
ALLSTATE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD QUALIFYING RESULTS
Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to
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