David Reutimann on Cup pole
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- David Reutimann picked a heck of a race to win the fourth Sprint Cup pole of his career.
Reutimann turned a lap at 127.383 mph Friday night, taking the top starting spot in tonight's Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond International Raceway — a race that will start with 14 drivers trying to secure one of the three spots left in the 10-race playoffs.
As Reutimann sees it, he's just as entitled to race for the victory as anyone else.
"No different than any other race," he said when asked how his approach might change given the stakes involved for so many teams. "You just got out there and try to outrun them. You don't want to mess with anybody's day, but I'm out for me."
Jamie McMurray, another driver out of contention for a Chase spot, will start on the outside of the front row.
"Bono (crew chief Kevin Manion) said on the radio after our qualifying lap it was just one of those days everything just went the way it should," McMurray said. He's 25th in the point standings, and Reutimann is 28th.
Five-time series champion Jimmie Johnson will start third, with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin to his outside. Martin is among the drivers who need to win the race and have several others falter to find his way into the Chase field.
Local favorite Denny Hamlin, who has won the past two fall races on 0.75-mile Richmond International Raceway oval, qualified 28th.
Gordon: Having Earnhardt in Chase 'very important'
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Within limits, Jeff Gordon and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates will do all they can to help Dale Earnhardt Jr. clinch a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
"It's very important for us at Hendrick Motorsports to get him in the Chase, not just because he's Junior, but because we want to get as many of our teams into that Chase as possible," Gordon told Sporting News on Friday.
"It means a lot to us, so we would like to accomplish that, and Junior's had a heck of a year, and it's been a little rough the last several weeks, but I feel like he belongs in there."
Once the race starts, Gordon said he will pay attention to Earnhardt's position and that of the one other driver who has a realistic shot at knocking his teammate out of the Chase — Brad Keselowski. Blocking Keselowski or letting Earnhardt make an easy pass for position isn't out of the question.
"In the race, we're certainly going to be mindful of what's going on," Gordon said. "Other than blocking and stuff like that, if he (Earnhardt) is faster, then you might give up the position a little easier than you would before."
