Sporting News Wire Service
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Benefiting from an early qualifying draw, Juan Montoya sped around 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway in 51.863 seconds (184.640 mph) Saturday to win the pole for Sunday's Amp Energy Juice 500.
The pole was Montoya's second at Talladega, his third of the season and the fifth of his Cup career. Montoya was the sixth driver to make a qualifying attempt.
Clint Bowyer (184.498 mph) qualified second for the seventh race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Kurt Busch (184.388 mph) will start third, followed by Joe Nemechek (184.253 mph) andJeff Burton (184.161 mph).
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dave Blaney, Ryan Newman, Casey Mears and Sam Hornish Jr. will take the green flag from positions six through 10, respectively.
Chase leader Jimmie Johnson starts 19th, with second-place Denny Hamlin 17th and third-placeKevin Harvick 14th. Harvick won this season's spring race at Talladega but hasn't finished better than 20th in the previous three fall races.
Notes-n-Nuggets
| • Juan Montoya earned his fifth Cup Series pole in his 142nd start. |
| • Juan Montoya has never won from the pole. |
| • Chevrolet earns its 15th pole in 2010; Ford has six, Toyota has six and Dodge has three. |
| • Jeff Gordon is the last driver to win from the pole at Talladega (April '07). |
| • Three of the past six Talladega races were won from 22nd or lower; the other three were won from the top 10. |
| • There have been six different race winners in the past six races at Talladega. |
| • Jamie McMurray finished first and second in the past two Talladega races. |
| • Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored top-15 finishes in the past three Talladega races. |
| • Jeff Burton finished 12th or better in four of the past five Talladega races. |
| • Kevin Harvick scored top-10 finishes in all three restrictor-plate races in 2010, the only driver to do so. |
| • Clint Bowyer (second) posted his career-best start in 20 restrictor-plate races. |
| • Kurt Busch (third) posted his career-best start in 40 restrictor-plate races. |
| • Joe Nemechek (fourth) was the fastest of the 11 go-or-go homers. |
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