Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

HAMPTON, Ga. — Another week, another rainout.
And, oh, by the way: another pole for Jimmie Johnson.
Rain washed of Sprint Cup qualifying for the third consecutive week Friday, forcing NASCAR to set the field on points at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It gave Johnson the top starting spot, and put the 11 drivers chasing him for the title right on his bumper.
Greg Biffle, who trails Johnson by 149 points with four races to go, will start second. Jeff Burton, who is 152 points out, starts third in Sunday’s race.
“It makes it sort of boring, takes the excitement out of it because the 12 guys are starting right there,” Biffle said. “A lot of times we’re talking about, ‘Well, this guy is starting 30th, and this guy is 18th.’ Other than that, it’s kind of uneventful for us.”
It’s the ninth pole of the season for Johnson, and four of them have been handed to him because of rain. But that starting spot is critical at this time of the season, when Johnson is closing in on his third straight Sprint Cup title.
By starting from the pole, Johnson gets the first stall on pit road and has a rather easy shot at leading the first lap and earning a five-point bonus that will pad his already comfortable lead in the standings. He successfully led the first lap the past two weeks at Charlotte and Martinsville, Va., en route to pulling away from the other title contenders.
“I have mixed emotions about it. It’s great to have that guaranteed pit stall and start where we are, but at the same time, everybody else is right there,” Johnson said. “There’s certain guys that I am racing in the points who are very good qualifiers, others who are not. In one respect, I am excited with starting on pole. Then on the other side of me, I say ‘Well, I still think I could have been top 10 in qualifying and maybe some of the others could have been further back.
“Who knows what could have happened?”