Chasers slow in qualifying for Sunday's Kansas race

With track position the end-all, be-all of today's Sprint Cup race strategy, there will be some crew chiefs burning the midnight oil trying to get some on Sunday.

Chief among them will be Greg Zipadelli, who will have to guide driver Tony Stewart from the back of the field after the No. 20 Toyota posted the 42nd-fastest lap of 45 cars for Sunday's Camping World RV 400.

Front row seat

Jimmie Johnson will start first Sunday at Kansas after Juan Montoya's speed was disallowed because of an infraction.

• Complete story, click here

It's not like the 20 bunch won't have company back in the lineup, as seven of the 12 Chase drivers occupy starting spots of 25th or worse, including points leader Carl Edwards. They'll be joined by initial pole winner Juan Montoya, whose quick time was disallowed after his right-rear shock was found to have too much pressure in it. That moves everyone up a spot and Montoya starts 42nd.

Just two of the Chasers made the top 10 in qualifying, Jimmie Johnson and a surprising Matt Kenseth.

Johnson put his Chevrolet on the outside of the front row with his lap at 31.394, 172.007 mph, a smidgen behind Montoya. He moved over one spot after Montoya's DQ. Johnson has never won at Kansas, but will start first for the third time. He has four top-10 finishes and a third-place effort last year as his best showing. He averages 12.0 per finish, fifth-best among the 12 Chasers.

Kenseth is not known as a qualifier, but he ripped off a lap at 31.456, 171.668 mph in his Ford to start on the inside of the second row Sunday. Kenseth averages 14.5 per start at Kansas, one of his better tracks, but his average finish of 22.1 is 10th out of the 12. Kenseth has a top-five finish in seven starts on the 1.5-mile oval.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 11th in his Chevrolet, clicking off a lap at 31.628, 170.735 mph. Despite having four top-10 finishes in seven starts, his best finish is sixth back in 2002, and his average finish is an eighth-best 17.1.

Jeff Gordon was next in 13th, circling the track at 31.670, 170.508 in his Chevrolet. Gordon is the lone two-time winner in the seven previous races run at Kansas, last turning the trick in 2002. In four of those races he finished in the top five, and his average finish of 10.6 is second only to hometown hero Clint Bowyer's ridiculous 5.5. (Continued)