NASCAR: Johnson grabs Kentucky pole

[ron olds]

Jimmie Johnson won the Coors Light pole for the Quaker State 400 in Sparta Kentucky. This is Johnsons first pole in 2012 and 26th of his career.

Violent winds interrupted qualifying when estimated 70 mph gust raced across the speedway tossing hospitality tents, trash cans, and small unsecured children flying. The wind was so bad NASCAR suspended qualifying for 17 minutes and encouraged fans to take shelter.

"It was a good lap -- qualifying has not been our strong suit in the last couple of years," Johnson said. "I'm very happy to get this pole today. My Chevy's bad fast, and I'm looking forward to going racing.


Starting Lineup
Quaker State 400
Kentucky Speedway

1 48 Jimmie Johnson 181.818
2 18 Kyle Busch
3 11 Denny Hamlin
4 29 Kevin Harvick
5 39 Ryan Newman
6 15 Clint Bowyer
7 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8 2 Brad Keselowski
9 24 Jeff Gordon
10 56 Martin Truex
11 16 Greg Biffle
12 9 Marcos Ambrose
13 43 Aric Almirola
14 51 Kurt Busch
15 27 Paul Menard
16 22 AJ Allmendinger
17 1 Jamie McMurray
18 20 Joey Logano
19 5 Kasey Kahne
20 17 Matt Kenseth
21 13 Casey Mears
22 14 Tony Stewart
23 83 Landon Cassill
24 95 Scott Speed
25 99 Carl Edwards
26 78 Regan Smith
27 87 Joe Nemechek
28 47 Bobby Labonte
29 31 Jeff Burton
30 26 Josh Wise
31 42 Juan Pablo Montoya
32 30 David Stremme
33 34 David Ragan
34 93 Travis Kvapil
35 98 Michael McDowell
36 23 Scott Riggs
37 19 Mike Bliss
38 10 David Reutimann
39 55 Michael Waltrip
40 38 David Gilliland
41 32 Ken Schrader
42 36 Dave Blaney
43 33 Stephen Leicht 173.132