Johnson's spin could have huge implications

Johnson's car isn't slow -- he was 14th in Friday's opening practice and 17th in Saturday's opening session. Instead, it was a spinout on the second of two qualifying laps Friday that relegated the 39-year-old to a poor starting position.

It's just the type of start the series' leading Chase race winner hoped to avoid.

During a Friday gathering with the media, Johnson said the 1.5-mile track has begun to show slight signs of aging since a repave project two years ago.

Warm temperatures could create a situation in which the track surface would take more rubber, thus allowing the racing groove to widen and create more opportunities for passing. But with cooler temperatures Friday and Saturday, that hasn't been the case, making a poor starting position much more difficult to overcome. Sunday temperatures are expected to be in the low 70s.

"It puts a huge importance on today in qualifying and the pit road (pit stall) pick," Johnson said prior to his qualifying misstep. "And then when you get in the race, the strategy.

"We saw a lot of two-tire stuff when we were here in the spring and I would imagine it would be the same (Sunday), so track position is really going to be the name of the game."

Johnson has 69 career Sprint Cup victories, 24 of which came in the Chase. One of those Chase wins came here, in 2011, and after he qualified 19th.

Brad Keselowski holds the record for winning from deepest in the field at Kansas, capturing the 2011 STP 400 after starting 25th.

The winner of three races in a four-race span earlier this season, Johnson is coming off a third-place finish a week ago at Dover. It was his best finish since winning at Michigan in June.

In the opening three-race Challenger Round at Chicago, Loudon and Dover, Johnson qualified seventh, sixth and eighth. He finished 12th, fifth and third.

Four of the seven remaining races will be contested on 1.5-mile tracks, layouts that Johnson calls his team's "bread and butter."

"They've really been a strong suit for the No. 48 team over the years," he said. "This year, we've been competitive, but not dominant. And that's what we're looking to get sorted out here pretty late in the season.

"We can run well, but we would prefer to have more control than we do right now. And with as many 1.5-mile (tracks) that are left on the schedule, we have to get there."

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