Joey Logano wins pole position for NASCAR race in Sonoma
Joey Logano hustled his No. 20 Toyota around the 10-turn Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., faster than anyone else Friday to win the pole position for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
The driver for Joe Gibbs Racing turned a lap of 93.256 mph on the 1.99-mile track nestled in the hillsides of Sonoma's wine country.
Jamie McMurray was second at 93.223 mph and will start alongside Logano on the first row in the Toyota/Save Mart 350.
Jimmie Johnson, the reigning Cup champion and defending winner of the race, qualified 12th and Dale Earnhardt Jr., his teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, was 18th.
"We made some good adjustments [after practice] and found good speed in the car," said Logano, who by his own admission is more capable on ovals than twisty road courses such as Infineon. "This is the last place I figured we'd get a pole."
Five-time Sonoma winner Jeff Gordon qualified 13th in the 43-car field, Logano teammate Kyle Busch will start 19th and Carl Edwards, who leads the Cup point standings, qualified 23rd.
The race begins at noon PDT on Sunday.
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--Jim Peltz in Sonoma, Calif.
Photo: NASCAR driver Joey Logano in practice Friday before winning the pole for Sunday's race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Credit: Ben Margot/Associated Press
