NASCAR Pocono: Jimmie Johnson handed pole as qualifying rained off
Jimmie Johnson will start Sunday's Pocono NASCAR Sprint Cup race from pole position after qualifying was rained off on Friday afternoon
Heavy showers associated with Tropical Storm Andrea drenched the tri-oval circuit throughout most of the day, causing practice and qualifying to be cancelled, so drivers will start in the order of the current owners' standings.
It therefore means that Carl Edwards will share the front row alongside points leader Johnson, with Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth occupying the second row.
Fifth goes to Kevin Harvick, while Hendrick team-mates Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kasey Kahne will start in sixth and seventh position respectively.
Kyle Busch's good run of form in the early rounds of the season have contributed towards his eighth place, and Paul Menard and reigning champion Brad Keselowski round off the top 10.
The abandonment of any Friday running has also brought an end to Denny Hamlin's recent qualifying form and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will start in 17th place.
Rain has been a regular feature at Pocono in the past, with a downpour curtailing last year's race, won by Jeff Gordon.
Early indications are, however, that it should be remain dry for the remainder of the weekend, allowing all 43 entrants to participate in two hour-long practice sessions on Saturday.
Pos Driver Team/Car 1. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet 2. Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford 3. Clint Bowyer Waltrip Toyota 4. Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Toyota 5. Kevin Harvick Childress Chevrolet 6. Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet 7. Kasey Kahne Hendrick Chevrolet 8. Kyle Busch Furniture Row Chevrolet 9. Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet 10. Brad Keselowski Penske Ford 11. Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet 12. Aric Almirola Petty Ford 13. Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford 14. Mark Martin Waltrip Toyota 15. Martin Truex Jr Waltrip Toyota 16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr Roush Fenway Ford 17. Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Toyota 18. AJ Allmendinger Phoenix Chevrolet 19. Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Chevrolet 20. Kurt Busch Furniture Row Chevrolet 21. Joey Logano Penske Ford 22. Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet 23. Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Chevrolet 24. Jeff Burton Childress Chevrolet 25. Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet 26. Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford 27. Casey Mears Germain Ford 28. David Ragan Front Row Ford 29. Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Toyota 30. Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Chevrolet 31. David Gilliland Front Row Ford 32. Dave Blaney Baldwin Chevrolet 33. David Stremme Swan Toyota 34. David Reutimann BK Toyota 35. JJ Yeley Baldwin Chevrolet 36. Josh Wise Front Row Ford 37. Landon Cassill Circle Sport Chevrolet 38. Timmy Hill FAS Lane Ford 39. Travis Kvapil BK Toyota 40. Joe Nemechek NEMCO Toyota 41. Michael McDowell Parsons Ford 42. Jason Leffler Humphrey Smith Toyota 43. Scott Riggs Xxxtreme Ford
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