Homestead, FL (Best E Casino) - Kasey Kahne will start on the pole for the 2006 Nextel Cup Series finale at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The No.9 Evernham Motorsports Dodge circled the progressive-banked, 1.5-mile oval in 30.293 seconds (178.259 m.p.h.) to lead his teammates to the top of the charts.
The pole victory was Kahne's sixth of the season, tying Kurt Busch for most this season, and 12th of his "Cup" career.
"We look forward to Sunday, coming off the pole...these guys have done a great job all season long," said Kahne, who has won four times in 2006 starting on the lead.
Starting alongside Kahne will be teammate Scott Riggs who posted a second-best time of 30.300 seconds.
Kyle Busch (30.317) and a third Evernham Dodge driver Elliott Sadler (30.327) will start in row two.
Jimmie Johnson, starting 15th, doesn't have to do anything spectacular to win his first Nextel Cup championship. He will take the green flag with a commanding 63-point lead over second-place Matt Kenseth (starting 19th) and 90 points over Kevin Harvick and rookie Denny Hamlin.
If Johnson finishes 12th without leading a lap, or 13th while leading at least one lap he will win the title no matter what anyone else does.
Johnson already leads the series in top-10s (23) so finishing high up on the charts is something he does very well. And he will likely have three teammates (Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers) around him helping to keep him out of trouble.
"If we can just go to Homestead and do what we have been doing one more time, we'll be very happy," said Johnson on the team's website. "I can't express enough how much experience in this sport has helped me as a driver. This is my fifth year, fifth time being in a championship situation. We've been under pressure and we've been in this situation before and that's made us a better, stronger and more mature race team."
With the consistency that Johnson has shown, Kenseth's only hope is to go strong right from the start, lead the most laps, win the race and earn the maximum 190 points. Then he can only hope that something "unlucky" happens to Johnson as he has no control over the situation.
"We've been in championship form all season and now that it's crunch time, we just haven't been able to do it," said a disappointed Kenseth after the race in Phoenix.
Harvick (seventh on the grid) and Hamlin (33rd) are both 90 points back and in need a miracle. Both Johnson and Kenseth will not only have to have a mechanical problem or accident, it will have to happen early in the race.
Harvick is trying to make history, as the only driver in history to win both the Busch and Nextel Cup Series titles in the same season.
Earnhardt Jr., starting 14th, will need all the stars to align perfectly if he is to win the championship from fifth place overall, 115 points behind Johnson.
The remainder of the "Chase" drivers and their starting positions: Gordon (12th), Jeff Burton (fifth) and Mark Martin (26th).
Juan Montoya qualified 29th in the 43-car field in his first attempt at Nextel Cup racing.
The race is scheduled to drop the green flag at 3 p.m. (et) on Sunday.
