Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray claimed his third pole of the year with a lap of 183.542mph around the Chicagoland Oval,while four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and new father Jimmie Johnson was slightly off the pace at 183.281mph. Both drove Chevrolets.
It was McMurray’s sixth career Cup Pole. The wide Chicagoland mile-and-a-half oval might do the trick for McMurray who is outside the Chase in 19th place in the series’ standings.
"The speed is the hardest thing to find and I think we'll be fine tomorrow night,” said McMurray. “This is the same car that we sat on the pole with at Darlington and finished second with.
"Getting to have that number one pit stall is a big deal. The pit stops are so critical in keeping your track position that I think that will benefit us a little bit tomorrow (Saturday) night.
"We've had good speed all year and we haven't been able to capitalize on enough good finishes. It seems like we either have a chance to win the race or we finish 30th. We've got to get a little bit better at being more consistent. I feel good about our car tomorrow evening."
Jimmie Johnson, whose wife Chandra gave birth on Wednesday to their first child, a girl, flew in from Charlotte, NC, a little bit sleep deprived.
"I did everything I could to put my head in the game," Johnson said. "I came up here and had a great practice session, and I feel like we've got a very competitive car for the race. I haven't qualified very well lately, so maybe six hours of sleep before qualifying is necessary over a couple of days to find the right rhythm and feel for qualifying."
Tony Stewart, a double-winner in Chicago, will start third. Greg Biffle had the fastest Ford in fourth spot and Sam Hornish Jr. was the quickest Dodge driver in fifth.
Drivers Michael McDowell, Dave Blaney, JJ Yeley and Todd Bodine failed to qualify for the race.
It was McMurray’s sixth career Cup Pole. The wide Chicagoland mile-and-a-half oval might do the trick for McMurray who is outside the Chase in 19th place in the series’ standings.
"The speed is the hardest thing to find and I think we'll be fine tomorrow night,” said McMurray. “This is the same car that we sat on the pole with at Darlington and finished second with.
"Getting to have that number one pit stall is a big deal. The pit stops are so critical in keeping your track position that I think that will benefit us a little bit tomorrow (Saturday) night.
"We've had good speed all year and we haven't been able to capitalize on enough good finishes. It seems like we either have a chance to win the race or we finish 30th. We've got to get a little bit better at being more consistent. I feel good about our car tomorrow evening."
Jimmie Johnson, whose wife Chandra gave birth on Wednesday to their first child, a girl, flew in from Charlotte, NC, a little bit sleep deprived.
"I did everything I could to put my head in the game," Johnson said. "I came up here and had a great practice session, and I feel like we've got a very competitive car for the race. I haven't qualified very well lately, so maybe six hours of sleep before qualifying is necessary over a couple of days to find the right rhythm and feel for qualifying."
Tony Stewart, a double-winner in Chicago, will start third. Greg Biffle had the fastest Ford in fourth spot and Sam Hornish Jr. was the quickest Dodge driver in fifth.
Drivers Michael McDowell, Dave Blaney, JJ Yeley and Todd Bodine failed to qualify for the race.