JAuto racing: Johnson takes pole at Dover

Jimmie Johnson will start Dover first in the standings and on the track.

The Nextel Cup points leader got another boost in his bid for a second straight title, taking the top spot with a lap of 154.765 mph Friday at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del., his second pole of the season.

Johnson leads the points standings heading into the second race of NASCAR’s Chase for the Nextel Cup championship. He hasn’t started worse than ninth in any of the last eight races.

“It’s tough to say how important track position is going to be,” Johnson said.

“The thing I’m most excited about is having the first pit stall.”

Johnson and Jeff Gordon both have 5,210 points, but Johnson’s series-high six victories give him the edge. Gordon has four.

“We’ve got the 12 best guys in this sport, and there’s six or seven right now that all have momentum,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be a great battle all the way to the end.”

Six of the Chase drivers will start in the top 10 of Sunday’s race. Denny Hamlin was third, Kurt Busch fourth, Martin Truex Jr. fifth, Kevin Harvick was seventh and Matt Kenseth was 10th.

Other Chase drivers saw Carl Edwards in 15th and Kyle Busch in 22nd. Gordon (second in the standings) and Tony Stewart (third), both former champions, will start a disappointing 27th and 28th.

Formula One

Juan Pablo Montoya might soon be joined in NASCAR by another former competitor in Formula One.

Former F1 driver Scott Speed is to begin testing in an Automobile Racing Club of America car next week and plans to enter the Oct. 5 race in Talladega, Ala., with Eddie Sharp Racing.

“Formula One team McLaren will not appeal the record $100 million fine and constructors’ points deduction in the sport’s spy scandal.

The team said that it had notified motor racing’s world governing body that it would not contest the punishment for possessing confidential documents belonging to F1 rival Ferrari.

The fine was by far the biggest in F1 history.