Jimmie Johnson earns Kansas pole after Montoya DQ’d
September 27, 2008 by Tony Baldwin
Filed under Racing
Jimmie Johnson received a nice gift Friday as Juan Pablo Montoya was disqualified from the pole position of Sunday’s race after NASCAR officials reported a technical violation from Montoya’s car.
Johnson is tied for second in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings, trailing Carl Edwards by 10 points entering Sunday’s race in Kansas. Montoya thought he had earned his first pole position in NASCAR Sprint Cup before he was notified of the violation, which turned out to be improper gas pressure in his rear shocks. The ageless wonder, Mark Martin, will start next to Johnson on the front row Sunday.
The Kansas Speedway has been particularly tough on drivers in the Chase in the past. Many of the drivers involved in the Chase ran slow in qualifying. The Chase leader, Carl Edwards will start 34th, while third-place Greg Biffle will start 18th. The rest of the lineup for Sunday with cars involved in the Chase can be found below.
3. Matt Kenseth
11. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
13. Jeff Gordon
24. Clint Bowyer
27. Kyle Busch
30. Denny Hamlin
36. Kevin Harvick
37. Jeff Burton
41. Tony Stewart
