Montoya edges Smith for Richmond pole
By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(April 29, 2011)
RICHMOND, Va.—Juan Pablo Montoya posted the only sub-21-second lap during Friday’s time trials for Saturday night’s Crown Royal Presents 400 to claim the seventh pole of his NASCAR Sprint Cup career.
Montoya toured three-quarter-mile Richmond International Raceway in 20.989 seconds (128.639 mph) to earn his second Coors Light pole award of the season and edge Regan Smith (128.382) for the top spot in Saturday’s race, the ninth event on the Cup schedule.
The front-row starting spot was Smith’s best ever, and it lowered his series-best qualifying average to 7.1.
Clint Bowyer qualified third at 128.272 mph, followed by Kasey Kahne (128.150) and Mark Martin (128.053). Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, points leader Carl Edwards, Joey Logano and Paul Menard will start from positions 6-10, respectively.
Defending race winner Kyle Busch qualified 20th, teammate Denny Hamlin 11th and five-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson 30th. Bowyer, Johnson, Hamlin and Busch have combined to win the past eight races at Richmond.
Brian Keselowski, returning to the track after gall bladder surgery, failed to qualify for the 43-car field.
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