Stewart back on the pole for third time at Pocono

LONG POND, Pa. -- Tony Stewart, seeking his first victory of 2010, is used to starting up front at Pocono Raceway -- but this time he earned it during time trials.

Pocono

Tony Stewart and Juan Montoya were the only drivers to top 171 mph in claiming the front row.

• Stewart on pole
• Montoya outside

Race Lineup

Pos.	Driver	Make
1.	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet
2.	Juan Montoya	Chevrolet
3.	Denny Hamlin	Toyota
4.	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet
5.	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet

• Complete Lineup | Practice 1

With a lap at 171.393 mph (52.511 seconds) Friday, Stewart claimed the pole for Sunday's Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at the 2.5-mile triangular track. He edged Juan Montoya (171.096 mph, 52.602 seconds) for the top starting spot.

Stewart claimed the pole for both 2009 Pocono races under rainout rules, which order the field according to ownes' points, but those poles don't count in official statistics. In the June race last year, Stewart actually started from the rear of the field after crashing during practice and going to a backup car.

Though Stewart won that race, he hopes to avoid a repeat of last year's incident when the cars take to the track for a one-hour practice session Saturday morning. Stewart has two poles this season after winning none in the previous four years.

"I'm afraid the sky's going to be falling when I go outside," Stewart said. "I'm a little surprised by it myself. I'm not a qualifier. I admit that's always been my weak suit.

"But, man, if you're going to pick a place where you want to have good track position, this is it. It's really important here at Pocono. If I don't go out like I did last year and trash the thing in Happy Hour, we'll still have a good starting spot."

Denny Hamlin, who won the most recent Pocono race in June, qualified third at 170.371 mph (52.826 seconds). Jeff Gordon (170.222 mph, 52.872 seconds) will start fourth and Ryan Newman (169.936 mph, 52.961 seconds) fifth.

Montoya, who made his run before Stewart went out, was pleasantly surprised by the speed he showed in Friday's session.

"When I crossed the line, I was waiting for the guys to say 'P15 (15th place) or something,' and when it was 'P1,' I was like, 'What happened? Are you serious, or are you joking with me?'" Montoya said. "We're trying a different approach on the car, and it seems to be working."

Series points leader Kevin Harvick will start 14th on Sunday. David Stremme and Max Papis failed to qualify for the 43-car field.