Kahne takes Homestead pole
Kasey Kahne will start from pole position for the NASCAR Nextel Cup season finale at Homestead, while points leader Jimmie Johnson edged closer to the title by taking 15th, and Juan Pablo Montoya comfortably made it into the field for his Cup debut
The Evernham Dodge team dominated qualifying for the Ford 400, with Kahne's teammate Scott Riggs joining him on the front row, and Elliott Sadler putting the squad's third entry in fourth pace behind Kyle Busch.
"The engine package we brought here is very strong and the Dodge Chargers are working well," said Kahne.
"We'll see what happens, but it's pretty nice to have all three cars up front."
Needing only 12th place in Sunday's race to clinch the championship, Johnson was perfectly content to take 15th in the starting line-up.
"We're certainly excited to get to work and just get out there and do the job that we've been working so hard on," said Johnson. "We had a good practice session and now in qualifying that's the best lap we've had all day."
Kevin Harvick was the best placed of the outside title contenders, taking seventh. Fellow long-shots Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr went 33rd and 14th fastest respectively, with Johnson's nearest rival Matt Kenseth securing 19th.
With a massive 56-car entry aiming for 43 places in the race, Nextel Cup debutant Montoya's first challenge was simply to qualify. He did so with little drama, taking 29th despite not yet being content with the handling of his Ganassi Dodge.
"I think the team did a really good job for me, but it was pretty tight," said Montoya. "We improved it a lot, but we're still not there yet."
Having been fastest in morning practice, Kurt Busch expected to be a major contender for pole. Instead he struggled to 36th.
"We made too many changes and got it real loose," Busch explained. "It was an animal!"
He fared better than Robby Gordon, who will drop to the back of the field after a massive engine failure on his second qualifying lap.
"It's kind of how the season's going," said Gordon. "I think that's our fourth motor in five weeks, so we've got some work to do."
Qualifying results:
Pos Driver Make Speed
1. Kasey Kahne Dodge 178.259
2. Scott Riggs Dodge 178.218
3. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 178.118
4. Elliott Sadler Dodge 178.059
5. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 177.983
6. Brian Vickers Chevrolet 177.288
7. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 177.270
8. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 177.084
9. David Gilliland Ford 177.009
10. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 176.945
11. Reed Sorenson Dodge 176.881
12. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 176.840
13. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 176.719
14. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 176.621
15. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 176.569
16. Ryan Newman Dodge 176.505
17. Mike Bliss Dodge 176.396
18. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 176.384
19. Matt Kenseth Ford 176.344
20. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 176.292
21. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 176.108
22. Greg Biffle Ford 176.016
23. David Stremme Dodge 176.016
24. Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 175.999
25. Dave Blaney Dodge 175.959
26. Mark Martin Ford 175.879
27. Jeff Green Chevrolet 175.810
28. Paul Menard Chevrolet 175.667
29. Juan Montoya Dodge 175.581
30. Bobby Labonte Dodge 175.553
31. Carl Edwards Ford 175.507
32. Jeremy Mayfield Dodge 175.473
33. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 175.359
34. Travis Kvapil Chevrolet 175.319
35. Robby Gordon Chevrolet 175.256
36. Kurt Busch Dodge 175.228
37. Ken Schrader Ford 175.222
38. Kyle Petty Dodge 174.961
39. Casey Mears Dodge 174.447
40. Tony Raines Chevrolet 174.227
41. Dale Jarrett Ford 173.723
42. Jamie McMurray Ford 173.706
43. Bill Elliott Chevrolet n/a
Non-qualifiers:
Ward Burton Chevrolet 174.927
Brandon Whitt Chevrolet 174.514
Casey Atwood Ford 174.295
Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 174.182
Todd Kluever Ford 174.126
David Ragan Ford 173.734
Michael Waltrip Dodge 173.033
Mike Skinner Chevrolet 172.507
Derrike Cope Dodge 170.352
Kevin Lepage Dodge 170.277
Carl Long Dodge 169.396
Chad Chaffin Dodge 167.801
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