Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya captured Friday, moments before rain started to fall, pole position for the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Montoya, driving the No 42 Target Chevrolet, set the blazing pace and shattered the track record en route to pole position for Sunday’s race, which will be the first round of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase.
“It was a good lap, I guess,” said Montoya with a huge smile on his face. “We worked on our qualifying set-up this morning during free practice and it was handling very well. It was very quick in qualifying.”
“The one lap of the race I want to lead is the last one. We need to have a car that is good in traffic and that is capable to stay with the leaders and capable of be pushed a little bit more in the closing laps of the race,” Montoya added.
Point standings’ leader Tony Stewart put his No 14 Office Depot Chevrolet in second place ahead of Kurt Busch’s Miller Lite Dodge.
Richmond race winner Denny Hamlin qualified fourth, beating Carl Edwards, David Stremme, Martin Truex Jr and Bobby Labonte.
photo:René Fagnan - Auto123.com
Montoya, driving the No 42 Target Chevrolet, set the blazing pace and shattered the track record en route to pole position for Sunday’s race, which will be the first round of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase.
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| Juan Pablo Montoya |
“It was a good lap, I guess,” said Montoya with a huge smile on his face. “We worked on our qualifying set-up this morning during free practice and it was handling very well. It was very quick in qualifying.”
“The one lap of the race I want to lead is the last one. We need to have a car that is good in traffic and that is capable to stay with the leaders and capable of be pushed a little bit more in the closing laps of the race,” Montoya added.
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| Denny Hamlin |
Point standings’ leader Tony Stewart put his No 14 Office Depot Chevrolet in second place ahead of Kurt Busch’s Miller Lite Dodge.
Richmond race winner Denny Hamlin qualified fourth, beating Carl Edwards, David Stremme, Martin Truex Jr and Bobby Labonte.
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| Tony Stewart |
photo:René Fagnan - Auto123.com