Johnson forced to back of pack

? Jimmie Johnson earned the right to start first today in the Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway, but he’ll have to use his second car.

The pole winner for today’s race crashed in turn No. 2 of his second practice lap during Saturday morning’s first Happy Hour session and will be forced to drop to the back of the pack and use his backup Chevrolet in today’s noon race.

“I put a good lap up on the board,” Johnson said of his first spin on Saturday. “The competitor in me knew I could run a faster lap. The car just got away from me.”

Johnson, who set a Kansas Speedway qualifying record Friday when he turned a lap at 180.373 mph, will use his back-up ride that he drove to an eighth-place showing at North Carolina Speedway.

“Now it–s back to the drawing board,” said Johnson, who during the second Happy Hour practice was the fifth-fastest driver. “I had a lot of laps on that car and had everything set and the geometry right. Now we’re not as well prepared by bringing up a back-up car with only one practice session on it.

“But we build identical cars. They’re all the same.”

Johnson said he was trying to scuff his tires, but got sucked into trying to go for the faster lap.

“I was a little free on the first lap,” Johnson said. “Typically it tightens up a little bit on the second lap. But I came through Turn 2 and it was just as loose and I lost it.

“It was a total driver mistake. I’m disappointed in myself. I knew that the car was plenty loose.

Michael Waltrip's pit crew watches in disbelief after Waltrip blew a tire in the final laps of the Mr. Goodcents 300. The mishap allowed David Green to win the race Saturday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.

Gordon gears up for record

Jeff Gordon has been the only driver to experience victory in a Winston Cup race at Kansas Speedway.

If he does so again today, he not only will enjoy another spin in victory lane, but would make NASCAR history by becoming the only driver ever to win three consecutive races at a new track.

“It’s hard to explain that,” Gordon said of his success in the Sunflower State. “I remember we came and tested here. We did the Goodyear tire test with Bobby Labonte, and I liked the track right away. I knew it was fast. The car was fast.”

Odds and ends

Chevrolet has the opportunity to all but win the NASCAR Winston Cup Manufacturer’s title today, if it wins the Banquet 400. A victory would give Chevy 216 points, and if Ford finished second, Chevy would still hold a 37-point margin. Then if Ford won all six races remaining and Chevy took sixth, the Bow Tie company still would win by one point. … Kevin Harvick will start his 100th Winston Cup race today.