Jimmie Johnson Grabs Pole For Coca-Cola 600
By Marc Pruitt
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Jimmie Johnson hasn’t won a race yet this season. He had yet to win a pole either, until grabbing it Thursday night for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Johnson will sit on the front row after a qualifying lap of 194.911 mph. Brad Keselowski will join Johnson on the front row after qualifying second, and Kasey Kahne and Danica Patrick will start third and fourth, respectively.
“It certainly shows that we’re going to be strong this weekend,” Johnson said. “I don’t know that it will send the same message that winning two or three races will send.”
Johnson is currently seventh on the Sprint Cup points list with 340, trailing points leader and teammate Jeff Gordon by 54 points.
Gordon struggled during his qualifying runs and will start 27th Sunday.
Johnson is the defending Sprint Cup Champion and has won six of the last eight titles, including five straight from 2006-10. He has six Cup wins at Charlotte and was the last driver to win the Coca-Cola 600 from the pole when he won the race in 2004.