KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- The violation that cost Juan Pablo Montoya the pole for Sunday's race at Kansas was a clear-cut infraction of NASCAR's rules, but it wasn't likely to have given the No. 42 Dodge a performance advantage.

--(Cont'd From Front Page)-- The Sprint Cup rule book limits the nitrogen gas pressure in the rear shock absorbers to a range of 25-75 pounds per square inch. During post-qualifying inspection Friday, NASCAR found that the gas pressure in Montoya's rear exceeded the top end of the range by what crew chief Brian Pattie later said was 10 pounds.

Montoya's pole-winning speed was disallowed. Second-place qualifier Jimmie Johnson inherited the top spot, and Montoya will start 42nd Sunday on an owner points provisional.

Don't expect NASCAR to penalize the No. 42 team beyond disallowing the time on Friday. The sanctioning body's typical posture has been to remove any advantage the car might have gained by kicking out the qualifying run.

With track position as important as it is in the Cup series, a 42nd-place starting position is punishment enough for Montoya.

"Juan seems to be comfortable in the car, and our balance in corner entry and exit seems to be consistent," Pattie said. "We just have to pass a lot of cars (Sunday) starting in the rear."

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