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Rain puts Hendrick cars in the front row Sunday
By The Associated Press
Sunday, March 16, 2008 | No comments posted.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Rain washed out qualifying Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway, giving Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon front-row spots when the field was set by last season’s points.
“I’ll take it any way I can get it,” said Johnson, the two-time defending Sprint Cup champion who is off to an uncharacteristically horrendous start to the season.
He finished second in California, but was 27th, 29th and 13th in the three other races this season. He’s 13th in the points.
Clint Bowyer will start third Sunday on the concrete bullring.
“We weren’t the best in practice today, so certainly starting up front will go a long way,” Bowyer said. “This is a really cool track. It reminds me of the movie ‘Gladiator’ — this is the one where the stud wins.”
Dale Jarrett, who will race in his final points race Sunday before retiring from competition, will start 37th with no regrets about how he’s ending his 24-year career at NASCAR’s top level.
“I couldn’t ask for a better scenario,” said Jarrett, a three-time Daytona 500 winner and former NASCAR champion. “If you gave me a chance to go back and do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
With qualifying washed out, all 10 Toyota cars entered in the race made the field.
Not making it were John Andretti, Patrick Carpentier and Jeff Green, who took over the wheel this week in the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Ford. Bill Elliott had been scheduled to drive the car this weekend.
Had Elliott stayed in the car, the No. 21 would have made the field based on Elliott’s status as a past champion. Green was ninth fastest in Friday’s practice session, but never got a chance to put the car in the field.
“I call (Elliott) every week before finalizing our entry blank and ask him if he still wants to race for the coming week,” team co-owner Eddie Wood said. “When I spoke to Bill on Monday, he showed an interest in swapping out Bristol for Martinsville, so that’s what we did. Jeff Green has a good record here, and we thought putting him in the car would give us our best shot at qualifying on speed.
“I think what he’s done in practice shows that we made a good decision. Unfortunately, when I saw the weather forecast, I figured this was going to happen. I guess the most appropriate thing to say right now is that when it rains, it pours. This sort of typifies the way our season has gone so far.”
The famed No. 21 has made only one of five events this year.
“I’ll take it any way I can get it,” said Johnson, the two-time defending Sprint Cup champion who is off to an uncharacteristically horrendous start to the season.
He finished second in California, but was 27th, 29th and 13th in the three other races this season. He’s 13th in the points.
Clint Bowyer will start third Sunday on the concrete bullring.
“We weren’t the best in practice today, so certainly starting up front will go a long way,” Bowyer said. “This is a really cool track. It reminds me of the movie ‘Gladiator’ — this is the one where the stud wins.”
Dale Jarrett, who will race in his final points race Sunday before retiring from competition, will start 37th with no regrets about how he’s ending his 24-year career at NASCAR’s top level.
“I couldn’t ask for a better scenario,” said Jarrett, a three-time Daytona 500 winner and former NASCAR champion. “If you gave me a chance to go back and do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
With qualifying washed out, all 10 Toyota cars entered in the race made the field.
Not making it were John Andretti, Patrick Carpentier and Jeff Green, who took over the wheel this week in the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Ford. Bill Elliott had been scheduled to drive the car this weekend.
Had Elliott stayed in the car, the No. 21 would have made the field based on Elliott’s status as a past champion. Green was ninth fastest in Friday’s practice session, but never got a chance to put the car in the field.
“I call (Elliott) every week before finalizing our entry blank and ask him if he still wants to race for the coming week,” team co-owner Eddie Wood said. “When I spoke to Bill on Monday, he showed an interest in swapping out Bristol for Martinsville, so that’s what we did. Jeff Green has a good record here, and we thought putting him in the car would give us our best shot at qualifying on speed.
“I think what he’s done in practice shows that we made a good decision. Unfortunately, when I saw the weather forecast, I figured this was going to happen. I guess the most appropriate thing to say right now is that when it rains, it pours. This sort of typifies the way our season has gone so far.”
The famed No. 21 has made only one of five events this year.
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