Washout leaves Stewart with pole for Pocono 500 (cont'd)

The pole winner is usually the last driver to talk to reporters, though Gordon graciously switched places with Stewart to allow him to fly out earlier.

"You earned it man, you're the points leader," Gordon told Stewart with a smile after the two exchanged handshakes as Stewart left the stage. Stewart is the first driver/owner to lead in points since Alan Kulwicki won the 1992 Cup championship.

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Other drivers didn't plan quite as extensive a schedule.

Gordon planned to rest his sore back. Denny Hamlin hoped to give teammate and rookie Joey Logano a spin around the 2.5-mile tri-oval to give Logano a better feel for the course ahead of Sunday's race.

Johnson wanted to just sit in his bus and eat.

"Usually you just sit in the bus and eat all day," the three-time defending champion said, drawing laughs. "My bus driver found a gym down the road, so at least I'll go get a workout and then eat so I feel better about myself."

Sunday's race also will mark the first one with double-file restarts in a Cup points race (watch video). The format had been used in non-points races.

Back to Gordon

Gordon has ruled out surgery on his aching back and hopes the daily treatments he receives at the track will ease the pain he's felt for more than a year.

Gordon says he may opt instead for a repeat of a procedure he had last month, which typically calls for an injection of lidocaine or anti-inflammatory medication. He says that may take place in four to six weeks.

Gordon's crash during qualifying last week at Dover might not have looked severe, but he says his contact with the SAFER barrier off Turn 2 was one of the hardest impacts of his career (watch video).

"Believe it or not, that impact last week in qualifying was in the top five," Gordon said. "People don't realize how hard that is. We got the [impact] information from NASCAR, and it was a huge hit."

The Sporting News Wire Service contributed to this report.