KANSAS CITY, KAN. ? Jimmie Johnson was afraid the ingredients that helped him snag the Banquet 400 pole would prevent Sunday’s race from being exciting.

“I think the weather has a lot to do with the speeds being up,” said Johnson, who set a Kansas Speedway qualifying record Friday with a 30.102-second lap at 180.373 mph. “If it stays overcast and cool, it’s probably going to be a single-groove track.

“I’m just scared that if there are a lot of clouds, it will be a follow-the-leader race.”

Luckily for Johnson, he was the leader Friday. Afternoon temperatures in the mid-60s allowed 17 other drivers to top Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2002 track-qualifying record of 30.350 seconds at 177.924 mph.

“It was a great lap for us,” said Johnson, who clipped Mike Skinner (30.059 seconds and 179.647 mph).

Earnhardt Jr. came in third with a lap of 30.070 seconds at 179.581 mph.

“The big thing today was the weather,” Skinner said. “It is the learning curve with these cars. This is the first year they’ve all been fairly common — basic car with different noses and tail pieces and stuff. The teams just get better, the shock technology gets better, the engines get better, the aero is better. Everybody just continues to learn.”

Earnhardt agreed, saying drivers are taking advantage of having seen the Speedway three times.

“I think a lot of people have learned a little bit about this place,” he said. “This is our third time here. The temperatures are definitely a little cooler, the track was cooler. That’s the acceleration of technology, and everybody has a learning curve and everything coming into play.”

Jimmie JOhnson stands next to his race car after qualifying for the NASCAR Banquet 400. Johnson won the pole for Sunday's race with a fastest lap of 180.373 mph Friday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.

Johnson — who also had the fastest car during Friday’s morning practice session — never was comfortable because of other people’s success.

“Mike Skinner and Dale Jr. definitely stopped my heart when I saw their names flash up on the board,” Johnson said.

“At these speeds and with the shocks and everything that we’re running to make these cars go faster, if you’re not right, it’s a handful. Once you hit the sweet spot, everything is great. But it is a very narrow window to make the car right and driveable.”

Two-time defending champion Jeff Gordon is trying to become the first driver to win the first three events at a new track. He finished seventh in qualifying, but said he improved on his morning practices.

“We made it better, but just not quite good enough,” Gordon said. “I got through Turns 1 and 2 pretty good, but I just missed a little bit in 3 and 4. We tried to free the car up a little bit and it helped, but we probably could have gone a little bit more.”

Even with his dominant success at the Speedway, Gordon wasn’t thinking about that this weekend.

“We’ve done well here in the past, but we can’t focus on the past for this race,” he said. “The No. 24 team has to approach this race with a renewed focus.”

So will points leader Matt Kenseth, who, after ending his streak of top-25 finishes last weekend at Talladega, ran into more trouble early Friday when he spun out and ruined his top car.

“The thing feels pretty good getting down in there and then right after you get to the middle and get back to the gas it just goes real loose on me,” he said of his backup car. “It came to the green good and felt like it was gonna be tight enough in 3 and 4, but I got real loose again up in Turn 2 for some reason.

“We really thrashed today. We weren’t really prepared to get the backup out, and we had a lot of work to do with the car to get it ready to get out on the track. We didn’t get a lot of time with it, but it’s a great car. I know it will be good in the race, but we just have to start a ways back.”

Johnson said he felt good about the pole and about being back at Kansas, where he started in the front row a year ago.

“My Busch team owners that I drove for, the Herzogs, are from the area,” Johnson said. “We ran ASA at I-70 and was able to run well there. I think of Kansas and I smile because I’ve been here a lot. It’s just nice to be back.

“This track has always worked well for me. I get good feelings all the way around when we come back. On a day like today, that makes it even better.”