Jimmie Johnson takes pole at Daytona

Jimmie Johnson, winner of the 2006 Daytona 500, will start on the pole this year.

Tania Ganguli | Sentinel Staff Writer

February 11, 2008

DAYTONA BEACH - Jimmie Johnson won the pole for the 2008 Daytona 500, adding another success to the crowded Hendrick Motorsports column.

But Michael Waltrip felt like the real winner.

"There's no way they're as happy as me," Waltrip said. "I'm second, but I'm first when it comes to happiness. They woke up this morning knowing what they were doing next Sunday. I woke up this morning in a fog."

Waltrip will start from the outside pole in the Daytona 500 on Sunday after posting a best time of 48.197 in his Toyota. Johnson, the two-time defending Cup champion, had the fastest overall lap going 187.075 mph for a best time of 48.109.

David Reutimann, Waltrip's teammate and employee, also secured a spot for his No. 00 Toyota in Sunday's race, as the third fastest of the cars outside the top 35 and fourth fastest overall.

"It doesn't have anything to do with the driver here, it has everything to do with the work the guys do at the shop and all the preparation they do to get here," Reutimann said.

Joe Nemechek's Chevrolet was the third fastest overall and held the top spot until Johnson knocked it out. Nemechek made the 500 field as the second-fastest driver outside the top 35.

A year ago Waltrip was dealing with scandal after an illegal fuel additive was found in his car.

He says he still doesn't know exactly what that was.

Waltrip raced his way into last year's Daytona 500, but told reporters at the time he was "the most depressing guy you've ever seen make the Daytona 500."

It wasn't the start he'd hoped for with his new three-car Toyota team in its first season.

Others on his team were impressed with his strength as the season went on and things didn't get much better.

"He went into something, he put his heart and soul and money into the whole thing for it to work," said Dale Jarrett, who drives the No. 44 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota. "He's invested his entire life in starting up this race team; to have a lot of things not go his way would've broken most people."

But MWR has come a long way since then.

The team is hoping Jarrett qualifies Thursday.

"I can't tell you how many dollars were lost and how much credibility was taken away a year ago," Waltrip said. "I had to work really, really hard over the last year in order to prove we were worthy of this opportunity. I think we're slowly but surely starting to prove that."

They started proving that during testing with the cars getting faster with each test.

Even thought it was qualifying, where the car does most of the work, Waltrip was nervous about his own performance.

"I feel 100 percent pressure," Waltrip said. "There isn't anything the driver can really do to make himself get the pole but there's about 100 things he can do to screw it up."

While in the car, Waltrip didn't want his crew chief to talk to him for fear that would distract him from his laps. The paranoia, or perhaps just Waltrip's persistence, paid off.

Once he got out of his car and had run .088 seconds slower than Johnson, he knew he was in the Daytona 500. A few minutes later, once no one surpassed him, he knew he was on the front row.

Tania Ganguli can be reached at tganguli@orlandosentinel.com.

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Jimmie Johnson takes pole at Daytona

Jimmie Johnson, winner of the 2006 Daytona 500, will start on the pole this year.

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Jimmie Johnson, winner of the 2006 Daytona 500, will start on the pole this year.

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