DARLINGTON, S.C. -- If Jimmie Johnson is to win at Darlington Raceway for the third time in his career, he's going to have to do it from the rear of the field.

The defending series champion totaled his No. 48 car Friday in a hard crash during qualifying for the Southern 500 (watch video). Johnson's Chevrolet wiggled loose in Turn 2, impacted the outside wall, and then rebounded into the inside wall. Although the driver was unhurt, the car suffered serious damage to both ends.

"I was pretty loose. I didn't expect to be that loose," Johnson said. "[Crew chief] Chad [Knaus'] final words were, 'Go like hell,' and off I went and I didn't make it back. Unfortunately, I tore up a race car, but we have great backups and I'll be out here [Saturday] night and I'm looking forward to it."

Johnson's primary car, most recently used in a ninth-place finish at Atlanta, sat in a corner of the garage covered by a tarp as the crew prepared the backup car, which Johnson drove to a 13th-place result at Darlington last year. Johnson has two career victories at Darlington, having swept a pair of events at the track in 2004 -- including the final Southern 500 before the event was revived this year.

"I know they've got another great car in the truck," said Jeff Gordon, Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports teammate, who qualified second. "They're a championship-caliber team, and they'll rebound in a big way."

Use of the backup car will require Johnson to start Saturday night's event from the rear of the field. What kind of hurdle is that? Consider that Kyle Busch went to the rear of the field early in last year's race because of a pit-road penalty, yet still led 169 laps in a dominating victory.