Rainout puts Johnson on pole

Steady rain throughout the day Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway washed out NASCAR qualifying and put points leader Jimmie Johnson on the pole and sent rookies Joey Logano and Bryan Clauson home without ever getting a chance to make the race.

For the 10th time this season and the third week in a row, qualifying for a Sprint Cup race was rained out, and the lineup for the race was based primarily on car-owner points. Today’s Craftsman Trucks Series race also will be run without qualifying.

The latest rainout renewed the debate over whether NASCAR should amend its procedures when rain affects a time trial.

Johnson, who inherited the pole for the third straight week, said he and the other drivers at the top of the points standings gain an advantage with the rainout.

“When you start up front on a big track like this, and the air is so important these days, the track position is everything,” he said.

“If you can start in the top five, it’s much easier to stay in the top five than it is to start 15th and fight your way into the top five.”

Johnson said he favors some sort of adjustment.

“I do agree that something needs to change,” he said, explaining that there should be a procedure to hold a brief special qualifying session on Saturdays for the drivers who are outside the top 35 in car-owner points and thereby not assured a starting position. “I think a compromise is out there. We just need to think it through.”

Jeff Burton, who will start Sunday’s Pep Boys Auto 500 from the third position, said race fans are better off when drivers use Saturday to prepare their cars for racing instead of using some of the time for qualifying.

“I think its way more important to get practice, go get ready for the race,” Burton said, explaining that the most important thing for every driver, especially those in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, is to have a car that runs well on Sunday.

“Whether we qualify well or not, that’s not going to determine whether or not we have a chance to win this race. It’s a 500-mile race. What we’re here to do is focus on making our car drive well so we can put ourselves in position to win the race.”

Greg Biffle, who will start second because of his position in points, ran two laps in an abbreviated practice session and was optimistic about the way his car performed.

“We were in race trim, and the car was pretty decent,” he said. “I feel better that we were close off the truck. We’ve definitely got something to work with [today].”

For Logano, a onetime Alpharetta resident, the rainout is a blow to his attempt to get NASCAR approval to compete full-time in the Cup Series next year. He is under contract to drive the No. 20 Home Depot-sponsored Toyota now driven by Tony Stewart, but before he can start the Daytona 500 he must compete in a Cup race on a 1.5-mile track such as AMS. Now he must make the field at either Texas Motor Speedway or Homestead-Miami Speedway, according to NASCAR officials.

Still, Logano remains optimistic. “I’m sure we’ll get at least one in somewhere,” he said, adding that he’s trying to take the setback in stride. “If it’s something I did wrong, I would be more upset about it.”