NASCAR

• Talladega qualifying rained out, Johnson awarded pole

  
  

  Talladega, AL (Sports Network) - Rain showers at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday forced NASCAR officials to cancel qualifying for the Amp Energy 500. The starting lineup will be set by owner points, according to the rule book.

  Jimmie Johnson will start on the pole since he is currently atop the standings. Johnson, who is attempting to win his unprecedented fourth straight SprintCup Series championship, holds a 118-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate and closest competitor Mark Martin.

  Johnson last started on the pole at Talladega in October 2002, when qualifying here also was canceled due to bad weather.

  Martin will start on the outside pole.

  Jeff Gordon, a six-time race winner at Talladega, will roll off third, followed by Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya.

  Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards will start sixth through 10th, respectively.

  Talladega is the sixth Sprint Cup qualifying session to be rained out this year.

  Sunday's 500-mile race is scheduled to start just after 1:00 p.m. (et). The weather outlook at Talladega looks much better tomorrow with mostly sunny skies.

  10/31 12:51:50 ET