WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) — Carl Edwards has won the pole for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International.
Edwards turned a lap of 124.432 mph in 70.882 seconds on Saturday to easily outdistance Jamie McMurray’s lap of 123.814 mph in 71.236. It’s the first road course pole in Cup competition for Edwards and just a few ticks off Jeff Gordon’s 2003 track record of 124.58 mph in 70.7979.
Juan Pablo Montoya will go off third, followed by AJ Allmendinger and Kurt Busch.
Five-time Watkins Glen winner Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Scott Speed, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch round out the top 10.
Marcos Ambrose, who finished second to Stewart in last year’s race, will start 11th. Gordon, a four-time Watkins Glen winner, qualified 16th and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 41st.
