NASCAR: Carl Edwards knocks Juan Pablo Montoya off Richmond poleCarl Edwards was thinking title run when he knocked Juan Pablo Montoya off the pole at Richmond International Raceway.
"Lately, we have been building this momentum and it has been working and I am enjoying it. The previous eight or nine races have been really good and if we can make the next 11 of them as good as the previous nine, then I think we are going to be really good," Edwards said. NASCAR’s ten-race playoff called "The Chase" begins next Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Driving a Ford, Edwards averaged 127.762 mph and Montoya, in a Chevy averaged 127.455 mph. AJ Allmendinger was third fastest, at 127.101, mph in another Ford. “Hopefully with this good pit stall and a good starting spot we can get a win and get the 10 bonus points. That would be huge. That is just what we need to start the Chase,” said Edwards. As his Roush Fenway team has shifted targets it tends to mean a lot in the final tally. “That means a lot for us. We started 28th here in the spring and got all the way back up to fifth. We have been focusing so much on qualifying, it means a lot.” Montoya, who went out earlier in the qualifying session when it was a bit warmer and the three-quarter mile oval was a bit slicker said: “I think for the conditions, that was pretty good. I was talking to A.J. (Allmendinger) earlier and the track normally doesn’t really get that much quicker here, but it does a little bit. “There is enough to lose the pole. I was expecting a lot worse. I was pretty happy when I ran that lap. It was a good lap and when they told me the time, I was like 'OH, that was pretty good.' I was kind of surprised.” Clint Bowyer, who is 12th in the standings and not locked in for the Chase qualified fourth at 127.077 mph. His job in the race will be to finish 28th or better to insure he gets into NASCAR’s version of the playoffs. Ryan Newman, his main threat to make the Chase, qualified 23rd. Terry Labonte, Michael McDowell, Todd Bodine, Scott Riggs and Brian Keselowski all failed to make the field. |
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