Jimmie Johnson will go for the Dover sweep from the pole.

Johnson turned a lap of 157.356 mph yesterday at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del., and will start first for only the second time this season. He led a career-high 298 laps in May to win at the Monster Mile.

"A pole today will make the start of the weekend much better and give us a lot of direction and momentum moving into tomorrow," Johnson said. "It does carry you, and there is an aspect of momentum. But at the same time, you've got to go out and perform."

Rounding out the top four spots at qualifying for tomorrow's AAA 400 race were Juan Pablo Montoya (second), Ryan Newman (third) and Greg Biffle (fourth).

"When Jimmie ran those laps in practice, I knew unless he did a huge mistake, we're not going to get that pole," Montoya said. "There was no way I was going to get any more out of the car. I didn't have anything else."

Johnson has four career victories at Dover and had one of the more dominating performances of his career on the concrete track the last time out. He led the majority of the race until a poor pit stop dropped him back in the field and he had to chase down Tony Stewart before pulling into Victory Lane a winner.

PATRICK STAYS IN IRL

Danica Patrick has agreed to a three-year contract to remain at Andretti Green Racing and stay in the IndyCar Series, according to a report in the Indianapolis Star.

Patrick, the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in last year's Indy Japan, is finishing her fifth season in the IndyCar series and is fifth in points. She's been rumored to be considering a move to NASCAR and still could compete in a limited number of races.

Patrick's agent, Alan Zucker, did not return calls from The Associated Press. The Indy Racing League and Andretti Green Racing had no comment.

The IndyCar season finale is Oct. 10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

BOXING

PASCAL KEEPS TITLE

Hometown favorite Jean Pascal stopped Italy's Silvio Branco in the 10th round to retain the WBC light heavyweight title last night in Montreal.

Pascal (24-1), from nearby Laval, knocked down the 43-year-old Branco (59-10-2) once in seventh and twice more in the 10th before the Italian's corner threw in the towel to put an end to the one-sided bout.

The 26-year-old Pascal won the title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Montreal-based Adrian Diaconu on June 19.

TRACK AND FIELD

GAY WINS 100 FINALE

American sprinter Tyson Gay won the 100 meters, edging Jamaican Asafa Powell yesterday at the Daegu Pre-Championships Meet in Daegu, South Korea.

Gay, who has been hampered by a groin injury since June, finished in 9.94 seconds, while Powell was second in 10.00 at Daegu Stadium.

"I'm happy to have ended my season here in Korea with a win and sub 10-second result," the 27-year-old Gay said in an e-mail from South Korea. "I know I can go faster. I just need to get healthy, get rested and then get back to work."

In the women's race, Carmelita Jeter of the United States won in 10.83 seconds.