Juan Pablo Montoya is surging through the field in the Verizon IndyCar Series championship standings and looks poised to ascend even higher at Pocono Raceway.
Montoya claimed pole position for Sunday’s Pocono IndyCar 500 with a record-breaking two-lap average speed of 223.871 mph, bumping Penske teammate Will Power for the Verizon P1 Award.
It’s the first time the 38-year-old Colombian driver has earned pole position since he returned to open-wheel racing this year after seven seasons in NASCAR.
Programming alert: Watch the Pocono IndyCar 500 on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West & Pacific. | Full TV schedule
Montoya has soared the charts thanks to top-10 finishes in the past three races — including podium appearances at Texas and the first Houston race — and he currently sits fifth in the title chase with Power in the lead.
Joining Montoya and Power on the front row for Sunday’s race will be rookie Carlos Munoz. The Andretti HVM driver is coming off a rollercoaster weekend in the Houston doubleheader that saw him finish third in Race 1 followed by a 22nd-place finish after he crashed out midway through Race 2.
Pennsylvania native Marco Andretti starts fifth and Andretti Autosport as a whole will be looking to rebound after a disappointing effort in the team’s backyard race last season. Andretti, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Canadian James Hinchcliffe lined the front row of the grid but one-by-one they dropped out of contention, allowing rival team Chip Ganassi Racing to sweep the podium with drivers Scott Dixon, Charlie Kimball and Dario Franchitti.
For Hinchcliffe, the Oakville, Ont., native starts sixth this time around but will not have to drive far to top his finish at Pocono a year ago. Hinchcliffe didn’t complete a single lap after his car broke loose and smashed into the wall on the first turn.
Hunter-Reay starts ninth and the American driver scored a pair of top-10 finishes last week in Houston to re-enter the title picture securing third place in the standings. Pocono also offers twice the points and provides a perfect opportunity for drivers like Montoya and Hunter-Reay to continue their climb, but it could spell double trouble if they fall prey to the “Tricky Triangle.”
As Indianapolis 500 champ, Hunter-Reay also looks to complete IndyCar’s triple crown of 500-mile races this season.
Defending race and series champion Dixon starts back in 15th place but don’t forget, he was 17th on the grid a year ago due to a penalty and vaulted into first, kick-starting his race to claim the title.
Track Info
Pocono Raceway is a 2.5-mile, scalene-shaped track although it’s no ordinary tri-oval like Daytona or Talladega.
Pocono features three very distinct corners based on other tracks: Turn 1 has 14-degree banking similar to the old Trenton Speedway, Turn 2 is eight degrees like Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Turn 3 is six degrees — practically flat like a pancake — based on the Milwaukee Mile.
The various angles and sharp turns make it difficult for teams and drivers to set up their cars to a particular liking and the track no doubt lives up to its “Tricky Triangle” nickname.
Team Penske dominated Pocono during the USAC/CART era winning a record seven times before open-wheel racing took a 24-year hiatus from the track.
Past Winners
- 2013 – Scott Dixon
- 1989 – Danny Sullivan
- 1988 – Bobby Rahal
- 1987 – Rick Mears
- 1986 – Mario Andretti
- 1985 – Rick Mears
- 1984 – Danny Sullivan
- 1983 – Teo Fabi
- 1982 – Rick Mears
- 1981 – A.J. Foyt
- 1980 – Bobby Unser
- 1979 – A.J. Foyt
- 1978 – Al Unser
- 1977 – Tom Sneva
- 1976 – Al Unser
- 1975 – A.J. Foyt
- 1974 – Johnny Rutherford
- 1973 – A.J. Foyt
- 1972 – Joe Leonard
- 1971 – Mark Donohue
Pocono IndyCar 500 Qualifying
NOTE: Qualification results do not reflect grid penalties.
