Johnson takes Daytona 500 pole

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Hendrick Motorsports juggernaut just keeps on rolling.

Reigning NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson won his second Daytona 500 pole less than 24 hours after new Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the checkered flag in the non-points Budweiser Shootout.

Michael Waltrip, embarrassed last year at Daytona when his then-new team was caught in the post-qualifying inspection using an illegal fuel additive in his Toyota, also had a great run Sunday, taking the outside pole.

Only the top two qualifiers locked in starting positions for Sunday's 50th running of the Daytona 500.

Asked if this makes him the favorite to win the 500, Johnson said, "We have to wait until we get out in the draft and see how these cars work. That's really a true test of these cars. We know we have the fastest single car."

For Johnson, the post-qualifying news conference was just one of numerous positive moments he has had at racetracks over the past few years.

On the other hand, two-time Daytona winner Waltrip vividly recalled the sad, emotional moments when he faced the media a year ago after his team was discovered cheating and how he struggled throughout the season, at one point failing to qualify for 10 straight races.

"I'm still very emotional, but for obviously very drastically different reasons," Waltrip said. "Now I'm in here a year later and I'm the opposite -- I'm happy. I still want to cry, but I'm happy.

"We've survived and we've been able to get our foundations steadied up. During the time when we were getting our business squared away, our cars were getting better. I think that we are building a foundation here for a really solid year."

David Reutimann, Waltrip's teammate and employee, qualified third, meaning he, too, will be in the big race for sure.

"It's certainly something we're very proud of," Waltrip said. "We've worked very hard over the last three months with our testing. We noticed at each test that our cars were faster than they've ever been."

The top 35 drivers from last season's car owners points are guaranteed a starting spot in the 43-car field. Waltrip and Reutimann were among 18 drivers who began the day competing for the few remaining positions.

The rest of the starting field will be determined Thursday in two 150-mile qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway.