Johnson gets over mishap, edges Newman for Pocono 500 pole
By Associated Press
Published June 7, 2003
LONG POND, Pa. - Jimmie Johnson quickly put aside the previous race's failure and overcame a bad start to win the pole at Pocono Raceway.
Johnson crashed while running third Sunday at Dover International Speedway, where he was trying to win for the third straight week. His return to the track for practice Friday was not impressive.
"We had a motor problem, and luckily we got it straightened out," he said. "We found a valve spring that failed."
Johnson realized after the team made adjustments that he could contend for the pole.
"Once we got out on the track I knew all my shift points were better," he said.
In Sunday's Pocono 500 Johnson will try to regain the form that made him a winner last month in the nonpoints NASCAR all-star race and Winston Cup's Coca-Cola 600. He tried to nurse an ill-handling car to the front in Dover, but crashed and wound up 38th.
Johnson got his first pole of the season and fifth career at 170.645 mph.
Second to Johnson's Chevrolet was the Dodge of Ryan Newman, which lapped the 21/2-mile layout at 170.513 mph. Newman earned the pole the previous two weeks, giving him a series-leading four this season. He also won the race in Dover.
Bobby Labonte was third in a Chevrolet at 170.309. He will line up on the inside of the second row, flanked by teammate Tony Stewart, who went 170.203.
O'REILLY 400: Brendan Gaughan won the Craftsman Truck event, his third consecutive victory at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. He passed rookie Carl Edwards for the lead with five laps left and beat Edwards by 0.865 seconds. Shawna Robinson finished 18th, five laps down, with NASCAR's first all-female pit crew. The seven-woman crew went over the wall three times, all during caution periods. The stops weren't fast but they never cost Robinson position on the track.
DARE SURGERY: Airton Dare had surgery on his right arm and leg, both broken in a crash during IndyCar practice Thursday. He remained in a Dallas Hospital and he is expected to have more surgery next week on minor fractures in his right hand and right foot. Jaques Lazier will drive the backup car for A.J. Foyt's team in tonight's Bombardier 500.
TRACE ADKINS CHROME 300: Being a teammate of Kevin Harvick paid off for Johnny Sauter as he picked up the pole for tonight's Busch Series race at Gladeville, Tenn. Rain washed out qualifying so the grid was based on owners' points. Harvick is at Pocono for Sunday's Winston Cup race so Sauter is driving his Chevrolet. Harvick shares the No. 21 car with Sauter for Richard Childress Racing, which leads the owners' points.
