LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Juan Pablo Montoya has turned a lap of 176.043 mph to win the pole at Pocono Raceway.
Denny Hamlin and Paul Menard qualified second and third Saturday. Kasey Kahne and Paul Menard round out the top five.
Montoya won his first pole since April 2011 in Richmond, Va.
Points leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. starts eighth.
The pole is a bright spot for the slumping Montoya this season. He’s winless and has yet to even drive to a top-five finish. Montoya hasn’t won a race in two years.
