DOVER, Del. — Asked how the racing could be improved at Dover International Speedway following several problems during the May race, Juan Pablo Montoya was succinct:

"Bring different tires."

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. did just that but apparently not to everyone's satisfaction.

Jimmie Johnson, Montoya, A.J. Allmendinger, David Stremme, Bobby Labonte, David Ragan, Marcos Ambrose and Kyle Busch took part in a test last month to select a new tire for this weekend.

Of the group, the two in the Chase for the Sprint Cup had the biggest payoff Friday.

Johnson won the pole for Sunday's AAA 400 with a lap at 157.356 mph, edging second-place Montoya (156.699 mph).

"Running laps never hurts," Johnson said of his participation in the test. "From an engineering standpoint, being able to get a current data set to take back to the shop is very important.

"We, ironically, have shown up just like we were at the spring race. Even with the new tire, we ended up with the same setup as the spring. There's no doubt it's helpful for me."

The tire Goodyear officials ultimately decided to use this weekend was the one tested by Johnson and Allmendinger.

That wasn't good enough for driver Denny Hamlin, who apparently wished Goodyear had selected the tire Busch, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, tested.

"They won't listen to us drivers, so I don't know why we even tire test these race tracks anymore," said Hamlin, who qualified 13th fastest. "To say it's a benefit to tire test I think is completely false, because nine times out of 10, they bring back a tire that nobody even tested on."

Points leader Mark Martin, fresh off a win last weekend at New Hampshire, will line up 14th.

Johnson, who is second in the standings and 35 points behind Martin, has another benefit. He dominated the May 31 race at Dover, leading 298 of 400 laps.

"We had a great run here in the spring so we're optimistic coming back and could really use a victory, get some points, and continue this good start that we've had so far," said Johnson, who is trying to become the first Cup driver to win four consecutive championships.