(Sports Network) - Jimmie Johnson once again beat Mark Martin for the pole as he grabbed the top starting spot for Sunday's Pennsylvania 500 at the Pocono Raceway. The No.48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver rounded the 2.5-mile, triangular track in 53.503 seconds (168.215 m.p.h.). The pole victory was Johnson's third of the season and the 16th of his NASCAR (web|news) Sprint Cup Series career. He edged Martin for the pole last week at Indianapolis.

"I'm just proud of my race team, and we're doing the right things," Johnson said. "I'm impressed with Mark and the speed that he and DEI are showing. And once we get into this race, Kasey Kahne is going to be a factor, so is Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, and a bunch of other guys, and it's going to be a good race."

Johnson won the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, a race marred with nine competition cautions because of tire issues.

Martin will start on the outside pole for the second-straight week after posting a time of 53.712 seconds.

David Gilliland (53.832) and Jeff Gordon (53.858) will make up row two.

Other drivers of note and their starting positions: Kasey Kahne (seventh), Greg Biffle (ninth), Kurt Busch (10th), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (12th), Denny Hamlin (14th), Carl Edwards (15th), Tony Stewart (20th), Kevin Harvick (21st) and Kyle Busch (27th).

Chad Chaffin was the only driver who failed to qualify.

Busch heads to Pocono with a 253-point lead over Dale Earnhardt, Jr. with six races remaining before the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" begins September 14th at New Hampshire. Jeff Burton remained third in the standings, while Jimmie Johnson moved up one spot to fourth.

Johnson, the two-time defending series champion, appears to have bounced back in his title quest after a victory at Indianapolis and a second-place finish at Chicagoland. But Busch clearly remains the dominant driver in the 2008 Cup campaign with seven wins so far.

Johnson is a two-time race winner at Pocono as he won both races there during the 2004 season. He finished sixth there in June.

Busch had a disappointing 43rd-place finish in this year's Pocono 500. He had to start from the rear of the field after wrecking his primary car in practice. Then he was involved in an incident with Jamie McMurray in the early-stages. Busch became the first driver to compete in all three of NASCAR's touring series at three different tracks on the same weekend. He also ran at Nashville and Texas. This weekend, Busch will be at Pocono only.

Busch's older brother, Kurt, who turns 30 years old on Monday, is the defending winner of the Pennsylvania 500. Busch put on a dominating performance in last year's event, leading 175 of 200 laps. He finished 4.132 seconds ahead of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to snap a 52-race winless streak in the series. It was his first trip to victory lane since March 2006 at Bristol, TN.

The green flag is scheduled to drop on Sunday around 2 p.m. (et).



























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