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By DAVE SKRETTAAP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) – Jimmie Johnson had a wild ride qualifying for Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway.

The five-time champion got so lost in Turns 1 and 2 that he nearly put his car into the wall. he wound up straightening out along the back stretch but it cost him plenty of momentum, and he wound up qualifying 15th for the STP 400.

“Yeah, my commitment level was a little higher than my grip level in 1 and 2 that first time through,” said Johnson, a two-time winner at Kansas. “I just want to get a pole bad, and I know we have the race car that's capable of it.”

Johnson has struggled to qualify the last few weeks. he started 22nd at Bristol, was 10th at Fontana, and 22nd at Martinsville. he was 10th last week at Texas and led much of the race, ultimately getting passed by Greg Biffle with 30 laps remaining and finishing second.

“I think going as fast as we did on our second lap showed the type of car we had,” Johnson said. “Just coming out cold turkey, I went in there over 100 percent. I know now. I wish I had known that before I turned off into Turn 1. but it was just an awful 1 and 2 and I got an OK lap.”

Johnson said he hoped it would hold up for a top-15 start.

That wound up being exactly where he landed.

“We know we've got an awesome race car,” said Johnson, who hasn't won since last October at Kansas. “I just hope we didn't hurt ourselves too bad with that.”

WATCH THE POTHOLES: The decision to repave Kansas Speedway this summer has received mixed reactions from drivers concerned that it will lose some of its character.

Well, at least they won't have to watch out for potholes.

Track president Pat Warren said a chunk of loose asphalt was found in the apex of Turns 2 and 2 during a routine inspection following practice Friday night. The chunk, about the size and shape of a banana, was removed and a substance called Polygem was used to fill the hole.

“This is what we're starting to deal with all over the track,” Warren said.

The repaving of the track will begin immediately after summer's race, and there will be a slight reconfiguring to create variable banking in the corners. The construction should be done by September, which will allow for tire testing before the October race weekend.

GETTIN' DIRTY: Three-time and defending Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart beat a hasty retreat from Kansas Speedway after qualifying 23rd for Sunday's race.

Stewart was headed for Lincoln, Neb., where he was planning to run his sprint car in the Ice Breaker Challenge at Eagle Raceway. Stewart won the 1994 USAC Summer Midget Classic at the track.

“I'm pretty excited about getting there and getting a chance to run my sprint car again,” he said. “I've got 40 races on my schedule this year, so I've got more sprint-car races than I do stock-car races. I'm pretty happy about that.”

Stewart's roots are on the dirt. he got his start racing midgets in the Midwest and won his first World of Outlaws race in Canada last July. he also owns Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, where he hosts an annual late model race to raise money for charity.

JIMMIE GOES GREEN: Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 will be dressed in pewter-like green on Sunday, the first in a series of new color combinations to pay tribute to American muscle cars.

The color is technically called “Mountain Green,” and was one of General Motors' classic color combinations from 1967, appearing on every model of passenger car except the Corvette.

Johnson's team chose the greenish color to coincide with Earth Day, which is Sunday.

“When we were researching colors, it just made sense that we used green for this weekend,” said David Sutphin, who manages sports marketing for primary sponsor Lowe's.

“I know we have some muscle car fans out there,” said Johnson, who owns a 1968 Camaro. “I'm sure there are quite a few people who still have this color car. I think it's a cool way for us to connect with those fans.”

Copyright 2012 The associated Press. All rights reserved. this material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CHICAGO — Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa has been ruled out for Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal series against Phoenix on Thursday, according to coach Joel Quenneville.

Hossa was wheeled off on a stretcher Tuesday night in the first period of Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal series with Phoenix, injured by a hit from Phoenix forward Raffi Torres in the first period of a 3-2 overtime victory by Phoenix at the United Center.

The Blackhawks announced after the game that Hossa was recovering at home, having been released from a hospital. Wednesday, after the team’s practice, Quenneville announced that Hossa would not dress for Game 4.

Torres also will not be in the lineup. he is suspended indefinitely by the League and faces an in-person hearing Friday with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety at the League’s New York office.

On the play, Hossa had just passed the puck at center ice when Torres came out of the Chicago zone and hit Hossa with his left shoulder. Hossa fell to the ice in front of the Blackhawks bench and was motionless for about a minute. he was attended to by the Chicago team doctor, two EMTs and the Hawks’ trainer.

He was conscious and talking to the doctor as he left the ice before he was transported by ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

The Blackhawks released the following statement after the game from head team physician Dr. Michael Terry:

"Marian Hossa suffered an upper-body blow in the first period of tonight’s game. after initial evaluation on the ice he was taken by ambulance to the hospital for further testing, which yielded encouraging results. he has been released from the hospital and we are monitoring him closely at home. we anticipate a full recovery in a timetable yet to be determined."

That was good news to his teammates, who were otherwise livid about the hit and the lack of a penalty to Torres.

"any time you see a teammate and a good friend, someone you’ve had some great experiences with, it’s tough when you see him laying on the ice like that," defenseman Brent Seabrook said Tuesday night.

The Phoenix Coyotes are coming off a thrilling overtime victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night, and the club desperately wants to take a 2-0 advantage into Chicago next week. Very seldom to teams relinquish their lead in the series when sweeping at home, something the Coyotes are well aware of. So when is the second game of this series set to begin? Here are all the details.

Start Time: The puck is set to drop around 7 p.m. from Phoenix, which is 9 p.m. in the Chicago area. the start may be delayed a few minutes because, well, playoff games aren’t always punctual with their start times.

TV Coverage: The game will be telecast live on NBC Sports Network. for those with DirecTV, that’s channels 603 and 604. DISH customers will have it on channel 151. if you have cable, you’ll need to check with your provider for coverage.

Radio: Those in the Phoenix area can find the game on XTRA Sports 910 AM.

Team Sites: Coyotes fans should check out Five for Howling. Blackhawks fans can head over to Second City Hockey.

In Game 1, Brent Seabrook scored in the waning moments of regulation to tie the game, sending things to overtime before the Phoenix Coyotes prevailed in the extra session. In Game 2, he made a habit of it.

(Okay, so he didn’t. this overtime-forcing goal was originally credited to Seabrook, but after further review, the point shot was deflected by Patrick Sharp.)

It was a mad scramble in front of the net prior to the goal. The Phoenix defense collapsed down low in front of their goaltender, and they were able to clear several pucks out of harms way, but by not getting it out of the zone, the Blackhawks kept their hopes alive. Phoenix allowed them to get way too many looks at the net, and Chicago has twice been able to come away with dramatic goals in last-second situations.

The Coyotes have already overcome this same situation in this series, however, so it’s going to be interesting to see how each team responds once OT begins, having been through this so recently.

Ben Smith was the Game 6 hero for the Chicago Blackhawks.  Who’s turn is it in Game 7?

Smith’s overtime goal evened up Chicago’s Western Conference quarterfinal series with Vancouver.  the series, which concludes Tuesday night in Vancouver, has seen its share of big performances from a number of ‘Hawks.

The Blackhawks received a piece of bad news Monday as it was announced that forward Bryan Bickell, who has four points in the series, underwent surgery to repair a lacerated tendon and will miss the next 6-8 weeks.

Bickell played three games after the injury, sustained in Game 2 in Vancouver, before having to go under the knife.  His absence will be one more hurdle for Chicago to clear if they wish to move on to the second round.

Who steps up and shoulders the load?

Chicago has had several players register big nights.  the man of the hour could be anyone Tuesday night. 

Here are five players who could find themselves the story of Game 7.

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