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?"
No one got the chance, as a steady rain kept cars off the track for all but a few minutes late Friday.
The track was deluged in water, causing a drainage issue that created a handful of "weepers" between turns and three where the water settled and could not be dried. Once the rain stopped, NASCAR drilled holes in the surface in an attempt to drain the water.
Late in the afternoon, Kevin Harvick took a ride in the pace car to inspect the surface, and deemed it clear for cars. About 15 drivers went out for a quick practice session, but it was halted shortly after it began because of a slow drizzle.
"The two laps that I made, there was so much water on the windshield, we had to stop," Johnson said.
The rainout prevented Joey Logano from making the field. The 18-year-old phenom has been trying to get his first Cup start in a Joe Gibbs Racing entry, but rain has washed out both attempts.
Logano, who is replacing Tony Stewart at Gibbs next season, was also sent home last month at Richmond.
Bryan Clauson, who was going to attempt his Cup debut in a car for Chip Ganassi Racing entry, also didn't make the field.
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