Jimmie Johnson Snags Pole under Sunny Skies in Pocono

What a glorious day for Cup qualifying at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

Thanks to up and coming ARCA racer Bruce Hibbs, Jr., I was privileged to have a front row seat to it all, right in the ARCA garage and on pit row.  So, sit back and enjoy the update from the pits of Pocono.

Jeff Gordon went out early and laid down a very fast lap at over 166 miles per hour.  It looked like it would hold until Mark Martin came along midway through the qualifying order, knocking Gordon into second. 

Then, in a surprise lap, David Gilliland took the second spot.   Gilliland could not have been happier about his run—or more surprised by it.

Almost at the end of the qualifying period, Hendrick star and Indy winner Jimmie Johnson stunned the crowd with a lap of over 168 miles per hour, taking absolute control of the pole position.

“It was a very good lap,” Johnson told the crowd in the understatement of the day.  “I felt real comfortable and we had a good practice session” this morning.

Johnson’s pole run left Mark Martin in second, David Gilliland in third, and Jeff Gordon in fourth.

Matt Kenseth, after blowing by every single fan without stopping or saying a word, qualified in the fifth position. 

Flying Ryan Newman had a good qualifying effort, coming in sixth while Kasey Kahne, who also went out early in the qualifying session, came in seventh.

Although Brian Vickers stalled his Red Bull car going out to qualify, he still had a good lap and came in eighth. The “Biff” Greg Biffle followed closely behind Vickers, coming in ninth.

Kurt Busch had a little excitement in turn three and his crew will have to work overtime to fix that mistake.  But he still had a fast lap and rounded out the top 10 in that final spot.

Brother and points leader Kyle Busch had a terrible qualifying effort, placing in the 27th spot.  Needless to say, Pocono Raceway is not one of the favorites of the M&M sponsored driver.

Dale Jr. had a fairly decent effort, coming in 12th in qualifying.  He was very happy with his car and was in a very good mood.  In fact, he made the day of many fans as he stopped to sign autographs for those lined along the pit wall. 

My favorite autograph moment during qualifying today was Junior’s stopping to talk to a middle aged man dressed in camouflage, a soldier returning to Iraq.  The time that Junior spent with that man will surely sustain him throughout his tour of duty—no doubt about it as that soldier was beaming from head to toe.

The other driver most generous with his time with the fans today was Robby Gordon.  He didn’t just stop to sign autographs—he hung out with the fans, talking, joking, and taking pictures.  His season has not been the best, but that man is most fan friendly.

There was action in all of the pit area, not just on the track.  It was a sight to see that infamous black hat of “the King” Richard Petty atop the Cheerios hauler watching qualifying.

Hugging the fence around the garage area was the smallest of fans, a little boy about four years old, who was so thrilled with his FedEx die cast car.  “Thank goodness we finally have a Denny Hamlin car,” he said to his parents over and over and over again.

Another weird moment was watching Marty Smith get ready for his TV appearance near the media center.  He kept putting makeup on his forehead and that was just fairly creepy.

The best battle of qualifying was the “Go or Go Homers.”  Only one driver was eliminated—Chad Chaffin, who was also slowest in practice. 

Joe Nemechek, who qualified 23rd, was sweating profusely from the effort as he and son Hunter walked along pit row signing autographs.

At the end of the session, another race lineup had been decided and the cars were back in the garage awaiting practice tomorrow morning.  Drivers and teams are holding their collective breath, hoping that weather won’t interfere with the plans.

So, it’s back home to New Jersey for this intrepid pit reporter, until tomorrow when we will do it all over again through the tunnel turn at Pocono Raceway!