NASCAR Cup Series

Jimmie Johnson, six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup points paying race winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS), put his No. 48 Lowe’s Patriotic Chevrolet SS on pole for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. Johnson turned a lap of 194.911 mph, 27.705 seconds in the third round of NASCAR’s knockout qualifying format to earn his first pole of the 2014 season.

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 LOWE’S PATRIOT Chevrolet SS – Pole Winner - Talk about your lap. You were one of the last ones to go out - "‘Yeah, it was a really strong lap. I’m very pleased with it. Happy to get this Lowe’s Chevrolet on pole for this big race coming up Sunday afternoon."

CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 Cherry 5-hour ENERGY for Special Ops Warrior Foundation Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing - Starting Position: 5th - How was the qualifying session?“It was a solid qualifying session. A good starting spot. Certainly, it’s pole day so you want the pole, but nonetheless top-five starting spot for a long race. It’s a good way to start the weekend.”

This weekend, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet will have a special passenger on board - Superman.

There was a day when you'd head to Charlotte Motor Speedway and automatically, Jimmie Johnson's name would come to mind as the winner. That still happens, but not as much as it did in the first half of Johnson's career. The time in his career where he won five straight races and seemed as though he could do no wrong on the 1.5 mile oval located in NASCAR's hub.

While everybody is focused on when Jimmie Johnson will score his first victory of the season to attempt to lock himself in the 2014 Chase for the Championship, Johnson is showing speed on the track as he won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion – Press Conference – “Based off of last week’s practice I would say as fast as our car was in the practice and not in the race that I really don’t trust any practice speeds right now. We’ll have to see what shows up here when it counts on Sunday. Practice here during the day is obviously a lot different than racing in the night. Speeds pick up."

When we think of a Hall of Fame inductee, we usually think of outstanding performances and career achievements. There are champions, there are race winners, and there are legends. Few should be able to argue against the merits of one so honored, but we do.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame nominations usually make me yawn. Year after year, mostly because of the Hall’s policy of only naming a few to the Hall and the fact that it includes drivers, owners, mechanics, and the front office people, it seems that those truly deserving of getting in the Hall aren’t accepted.

CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 Cherry 5-Hour ENERGY for Special Ops Warrior Foundation, Michael Waltrip Racing - Do you enjoy coming back to Charlotte where you earned a win in Oct. 2012? “I don’t know why since that victory it gave us a boost of confidence and we’ve seemed to run a lot better."