Denny Hamlin leads Sprint Unlimited practice as Jimmie Johnson awarded pole

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 12: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, talks with crew chief Chad Knaus in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on February 12, 2016 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 12:  Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, talks with crew chief Chad Knaus in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on February 12, 2016 in Daytona Beach, Florida.  (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 12: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, talks with crew chief Chad Knaus in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on February 12, 2016 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Jimmie Johnson will start from the pole Saturday night, but on track Friday it was all about Denny Hamlin. Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Johnson, who won the event in 2005, was awarded pole for the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway via a draw by his crew chief Chad Knaus.  Knaus put his driver in the number one starting spot for the 25 drivers entered in the annual all-star, non-points event.

Brad Keselowski will start second, AJ Allmendinger third with Kyle Larson and Ryan Newman rounding out the top five.

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Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.