Jimmie Johnson had a clear view of the Texas Motor Speedway at the beginning of the AAA Texas 500, thanks to the pole he claimed on Friday. Johnson has kept that clear view throughout the opening 40 circuits around the 1.5-mile oval in Fort Worth, holding a lead of just under three seconds on Kyle Busch.
Greg Biffle, who passed Johnson late to win the Samsung 500 at Texas back in April, currently holds down the third spot, while Michael Waltrip Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer round out the top-five. Truex, a native of hurricane-ravaged Mayetta, N.J., has pledged to donate all of his winnings for this evening's race to the relief effort, one of just several such initiatives by the NASCAR community.
Johnson's championship rival Brad Keselowski runs sixth, while Carl Edwards runs seventh as he seeks his first win since Las Vegas in March 2011. Mark Martin runs eighth in the third Waltrip-owned Toyota, with Joey Logano and Kasey Kahne completing the top-10.