Jimmie Johnson and his Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet team were the fastest performers in NASCAR Sprint All-Star qualifying at the Lowe's Motor Speedway Friday evening.
Qualifying for the Sprint All-Star race is unique in that it entails three laps around the 1.5-mile track, including a pit stop to change four-tires. Penalties were assessed against those exceeding the pit-road speed limit and for loose lug nuts.
Johnson, one of 18 qualifiers, had the lowest overall time at 2 minutes and 1.41 seconds. Among the quality measurements were the speed of the first lap, elapsed time in the pits and pit road exit speed. The reigning Sprint Cup champion had the fastest opening lap (28.34 seconds) and the fastest exit speed - 119 miles per hour, which helped propel him to the pole position for Saturday's non-points race. "We had a good lap, and I feel like we did a good job," Johnson said upon exiting his Chevrolet. "I am so proud of these guys. We made no mistakes, and it was all teamwork tonight. And I did my part, too." Hendricks Motorsport teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon were immediately behind Earnhardt, giving the Hendricks team four of the top-six starting positions.
