Juan Pablo Montoya wins Fontana pole

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  1. truebluefan

    truebluefan Administrator Staff Member Administrator

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    After a series of so-so qualifying runs the first four weeks of the season, Juan Pablo Montoya found something at Fontana, earning the pole for his 150th career NASCAR race.

    So what changed? Don't ask him.

    "I don't know, to tell you the truth," Montoya said after hitting 184.653 mph on the 2-mile oval at Auto Club Speedway. "There was a lot less grip in qualifying than there was early in practice, so I don't know."

    Montoya hasn't qualified particularly well -- his best was 13th at Daytona -- but has been good when the green drops for the race with two top-10 finishes, including a third at Las Vegas. He's been decent at Fontana in the past, too, qualifying fifth or better while leading laps in each of the past four races there, finishing third at the fall race in 2009.

    The former Formula One driver will be seeking his first NASCAR win on an oval after winning his first two career races on road courses. He'll start Sunday's 400-mile race on the front row with Denny Hamlin, with Joey Logano and Regan Smith right behind them.

    Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=6259552
     

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