Practice washouts tough break for Elliott

LONG POND, Pa. -- Steady rain Saturday morning at Pocono Raceway wiped out both final practice sessions for Sunday's Pocono 500.

Teams practiced for two hours Friday prior to Bud Pole Qualifying, with many drivers electing to make race runs in anticipation of bad weather Saturday.

	Bill Elliott starts eighth Sunday at Pocono. Whether he'll finish the question. Credit: Autostock

Jimmie Johnson will lead the 43-car field to the green flag at 1 p.m. ET Sunday after winning his first pole of the season.

Probably the most affected by the rainout was Bill Elliott, who continues to recover from broken bones in his left foot. Elliott had planned to assess his ability to go 500 miles Sunday in the two 45-minute practices Saturday.

"The foot doesn't hurt at all," Elliott said. "I just can't use it. If I do use it, it hurts. I can use the clutch in and out of the pits, but as far as having enough of a foot to mash the brake pedal, I can't do it."

Four-time ARCA RE/MAX Series champion Frank Kimmel is standing by to relieve Elliott, if needed. Elliott, who has raced at Lowe's Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway since breaking his foot May 17 in The Winston at Lowe's, said the concern was the consequence of severely jarring his foot.

"The doctor said I hadn't hurt it, but it's not healed," Elliott said. "That's the worry that he's got. If I re-injure it, and they (bones) misalign, they're going to have to go in there and pin it (and) if that happens, I'm out of the race car."

Elliott, who has missed races due to injury twice previously, said re-injuring his foot would take him out of the seat of his No. 9 Dodge Dealers Intrepid.

POCONO 500  •  Lineup  •  Johnson captures Bud Pole  •  Complete Race Coverage  •  1st Practice Speeds  •  Friday's Photo Gallery

"You've got to be realistic," Elliott said. "I think Johnny Benson did the right thing last year by getting out, getting healed and coming back. The way you've got to run today, if I get re-hurt, I'm out of the car.

"That's what people have to understand. It's just a bad enough injury that you're on the fence. When I broke my hip, it was black and white. I was out of the car.

"You've got to work through this stuff and understand it. There are so many good teams and cars here today that you can't give up an inch. Now we're looking for hundredths and thousandths."