Auto racing: Johnson wins Richmond pole
Jimmie Johnson looks ready for NASCAR’s playoffs.
In the last race before the Nextel Cup Series Chase for the championship starts, Johnson posted a qualifying lap that blew away the field at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. His speed was 126.296 mph; No. 2 Jeff Gordon qualified at 125.342 mph.
“I figured out how to drive this track when we were here in the spring,” said Johnson, who outran Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Busch to win here in the spring. Busch qualified third Friday, giving Hendrick the top three spots in the field.
Gordon said it was clear early that Johnson had done something special.
He was just the second car to make his run, and typically speeds get better as darkness falls.
Not this time.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start 21st – behind both of the drivers he can still knock out of the Chase. No. 11 Kurt Busch will start 14th, No. 12 Kevin Harvick 13th.
“NASCAR reached an agreement with AT&T that will allow the company to sponsor Jeff Burton’s car through the 2008 season.
“Robert Yates will retire at the end of the season and hand control of his race team to his son. Doug Yates will own and operate Yates Racing beginning Dec. 1.
Busch Series
Kyle Busch led four times and for all but 25 laps and even made overtime look easy at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, earning his ninth career NASCAR Busch Series victory and second of the season.
Busch, who also started first, never gave up the lead for more than 17 laps and grabbed it for good on the 160th circuit when Matt Kenseth spun avoiding an accident.
Kenseth, winner of 23 career series races, had led for 17 laps when Paul Menard spun out right in front of him.
As Kenseth also went around, Busch quickly darted up and through a clearing in the action and produced the final of six lead changes.
The Emerson Radio 250 race went back to green on lap 201, following the sixth caution, and Busch had all but ended the suspense by building a lead of nearly 2 1/2 seconds over Carl Edwards until A.J. Allmendinger spun on lap 236.
The green flew again with nine laps remaining, and Busch got a great jump and then some much appreciated help as Edwards and Ryan Newman battled for second place.
With four laps to go, another caution flew because of oil on the track, causing Busch to relinquish another sizeable lead, and the race was red-flagged to allow the cleanup to take place before a three-lap dash to the finish.
Formula One
Fernando Alonso and McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton were fastest in the day’s second practice session ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Italy.
Two-time defending champion Alonso went around the 3.6-mile circuit in 1 minute, 22.386 seconds, almost a second faster than Hamilton with 1:23.209.