<table> </table> Brian Pattie and his No. 42 Dodge crew were changing their car over to race setup and feeling wonderful about Juan Pablo Montoya winning the pole for Sunday&#8217;s Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway late Friday afternoon when NASCAR&#8217;s top cop showed up.</p><p>John Darby, the Cup series director, poked his head in the garage stall and pulled crew chief Pattie aside &#8212; and the wonderful feelings vanished into the unseasonably warm Kansas air.</p><p>Gone was Montoya&#8217;s first-ever pole in the series and all that would have gone along with it.</p><p>Post-qualifying inspection revealed that the rear shock absorbers of Montoya&#8217;s car had gas pressures that exceeded the NASCAR-rule maximum of 75 pounds per square inch. His time and speed were disallowed, and Montoya was sent to the rear of the field for the start of Sunday&#8217;s Camping World RV 400.</p><p>That sent reigning Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson into the pole, and Pattie into a funk.</p><p>&#8220;A rule&#8217;s a rule,&#8221; Pattie said. &#8220;It&#8217;s written. Obviously we had a breakdown in communication somewhere along the line, and it was found to be wrong. We&#8217;ll abide by the penalty.&#8221;</p><p>Darby said that NASCAR typically tests the shocks of the pole winner and the second- and third-place qualifiers. They will randomly select a shock or two off those cars and perform tests, including for gas pressure.</p><p>The shocks are filled with nitrogen. A valve is located on the shock through which the gas is injected &#8212; much like that in tires.</p><p>Darby said that shock violations in NASCAR these days, &#8220;are few and far between.&#8221;</p><p>Asked whether the violation in question could produce an advantage during a qualifying run, he said perhaps.</p><p>&#8220;In the past, we have seen where teams use excessive pressures to get the cars to do what they want them to do,&#8221; Darby said.</p><p>But he also said that none of that mattered. What did matter was that Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates had violated the rule book.</p><p>&#8220;What&#8217;s important,&#8221; Darby said about a possible advantage for the Montoya car, &#8220;is what the rule book says.</p><p>&#8220;This is a perfect example of a very black-and-white rule.&#8221;</p><p>Pattie said he was at a loss to explain the excessive pressure in the shocks. He said the shocks were checked back at the team&#8217;s shop in North Carolina, but not in Kansas. He said that he thinks that what occurred was the result of a problem with the equipment in the shop.</p><p>&#8220;We assumed that our gauge at the shop was right,&#8221; Pattie said. &#8220;If there is an error, it is our fault and I will take the blame because you can&#8217;t assume anything in the sport. I told John (Darby) that we build cars at the shop, but if it doesn&#8217;t pass the room of doom (inspection station) it doesn&#8217;t matter.&#8221;</p><p>Pattie said the shock, which was 10 pounds over the limit, could not have helped his car Friday.</p><p>&#8220;Performance, if 10 pounds is making us win races, I would hate to know what Jimmie (Johnson) is running,&#8221; Pattie said.</p><p>Pattie said he was not completely demoralized by Friday&#8217;s events. He said he still thinks his car is fast and could be a factor on race day.</p><p>Montoya was a happy driver immediately after the end of qualifying. His team, which is 24th in points, had been showing improvement lately.</p><p>&#8220;I think the whole organization is getting better,&#8221; Montoya said.</p><p>Montoya, a former Formula One driver from Colombia, called winning the pole at Kansas &#8220;huge&#8221;.</p><p>He said that one of the reasons for his team&#8217;s improvement has been the attention to details.</p><p>Then along came Darby.</p><p>Johnson got the news as he sat in his motorhome. It was news that was reportedly well-received.</p><p><hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> <strong><span class="infobox-head">More inside </span></strong><br /> &#8226;Kansas driver Clint Bowyer is trying for titles in Sprint Cup and Nationwide. <strong>| D3</strong></p><p>&#8226;Open-wheel drivers have struggled in their move to NASCAR this season. <strong>| D4</strong></p><p></div>