KANSAS CITY, Kansas -- Less than an hour after Juan Montoya celebrated his first NASCAR pole, it was taken away from him because of a technical violation on Friday.
NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Montoya's fast lap was disqualified because a post-qualifying inspection discovered his rear shock absorbers exceeded the maximum gas pressure allowed.
That moved two-time reigning Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson up to the pole, with Montoya dropped to 42nd in the 43-car field for Sunday's Camping World RV 400 at Kansas Speedway.
It was a blow to Montoya, 24th in the point standings and struggling for most of the year to be competitive.
Neither Montoya nor his Chip Ganassi Racing team had any immediate comment.
With Montoya's lap of 172.150 mph disallowed, Johnson's 172.007 gave him his fifth pole of the season and 18th of his career.