Engine change forces Vickers from pole to rear

FONTANA, Calif. -- What goes around comes around, and in Brian Vickers' case, it came around at pole-winning speed Friday at Auto Club Speedway.

With a lap at 183.439 mph (39.250 seconds) Vickers claimed the top spot for Sunday's Auto Club 500 Sprint Cup race, the second event on the 2009 schedule for NASCAR's foremost series.

Auto Club 500

Race Lineup

Pos.	Driver	Make
1.	Brian Vickers	Toyota
2.	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet
3.	Jamie McMurray	Ford
4.	Kurt Busch	Dodge
5.	Greg Biffle	Ford
6.	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet
7.	David Reutimann	Toyota
8.	A.J. Allmendinger	Dodge
9.	Scott Speed	Toyota
10.	Kyle Busch	Toyota

• Race Lineup | Videos

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Vickers, whose No. 83 Red Bull Toyota was wrecked after contact from Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Chevrolet in last Sunday's Daytona 500, rebounded smartly from that catastrophe, edging three-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson (183.164 mph) by .059 seconds at the 2-mile speedway.

Jamie McMurray (182.653 mph) qualified third, followed by Kurt Busch (182.556 mph) and Greg Biffle (182.302 mph). Jeff Gordon, David Reutimann, A.J. Allmendinger, Scott Speed and Kyle Busch will start from positions six through 10, respectively.

"I couldn't ask for much more out of the car," said Vickers, who claimed the sixth pole of his career and his second since joining Red Bull Racing in 2007. "We fought 'tight' [an understeer] in practice quite a bit and we found something there in that last [practice] run that helped us."

Vickers was especially pleased at securing one of the perks that goes to the pole winner: first choice of pit stall.

"Any pole is special," Vickers said, "and it's great here to get that first pit stall."

However, Vickers' team discovered a problem with the engine in the car after qualifying and opted to change power plants, NASCAR officials confirmed Friday night. As a result, Vickers will start from the rear of the field in Sunday's race.

Vickers is still credited with the pole, the sixth of his career, and retains the first choice of pit stalls. NASCAR requires any car that undergoes an engine change between qualifying and the race to start from the back. Vickers will have a chance to shake down the new engine during final Cup practice, scheduled for 5:15 p.m. ET Saturday.

When Vickers drops to the rear on Sunday, each of the cars on the inside row each will move forward, putting McMurray in the pole position for the start of the race.

Though Johnson dominated the first practice session, he didn't get an optimum performance from his qualifying lap.

"I missed [Turns] 1 and 2 a little bit, and I think that hurt me in the end," Johnson said. "The only thing I can think of is that Vickers and I went to In-N-Out Burger last night. I had a double-double, and he had a single.

"I think that extra patty killed me."

Todd Bodine, Tony Raines, David Starr, Mike Garvey and Sterling Marlin failed to qualify for Sunday's race.