Juan Pablo Montoya will have a hard time playing the role of dark horse if he keeps driving like this.

Montoya, a former Formula One star, will make his debut in NASCAR's Chase for the championship from the pole after setting a track record at New Hampshire Motor Speedway yesterday in Loudon. Montoya turned a lap at 133.431 mph on the 1.058-mile oval, breaking the mark of 133.357 set by Ryan Newman in 2003. It's a good way to start the 10-race Chase, but Montoya cautioned it is just a start.

"If it was a 10-lap shootout, I'd say 'Hey, we're pretty good,' " Montoya said.

The Earnhardt Ganassi Racing driver will have plenty of company from his fellow Chase drivers tomorrow. Tony Stewart, who won the regular-season title, will start second. Kurt Busch, who started his run to the 2004 title with a win at New Hampshire in the inaugural Chase race, is third. Denny Hamlin qualified fourth, with Carl Edwards fifth.

Busch is only too happy to be surrounded by fellow Chase competitors when the green flag drops for the 300-lap race. His bid for a repeat title in 2005 ended three laps into the fall event here when a non-Chase driver knocked him out.

"Your Chase can get ruined pretty early," Busch said.

The Chase already is off to a sluggish start for Brian Vickers, who edged Kyle Busch for the final spot last week at Richmond. Vickers qualified 26th, last among the 12 Chase drivers. Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon will start 10th, with Kasey Kahne 11th. Three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson qualified 16th, just behind Mark Martin (14th) and slightly ahead of Newman (18th). Greg Biffle qualified 22nd.

Martin will drive for Hendrick Motorsports through 2011, an easy commitment for a driver at the top of his game.

Martin starts the Chase for the championship tomorrow at New Hampshire Motor Speedway as the Sprint Cup Series points leader, a spot he earned through four victories this season.

"That shouldn't come as any big surprise," Martin said of the contract extension. "Who would want to quit?"

Martin, in his 27th season of NASCAR, repeatedly has staved off retirement over the past several years. He ran a partial schedule in 2007 and 2008, and the time off re-energized him. Then came an offer to drive for elite Hendrick Motorsports, and Martin has thrived.

At 50, he is the elder statesmen of the Chase field. But his high performance has made him a favorite for his first Cup title.

Scott Dixon won the pole position for the Indy Japan 300 today in Motegi, earning a valuable point in the IndyCar championship standings.

Dixon, the final driver to take the track in qualifying yesterday, averaged 202.031 mph on the 1.5-mile Twin Ring Motegi to earn the top starting spot.

Brazil's Mario Moraes will join Dixon on the front row. Dario Franchitti was third fastest and will join season points leader Ryan Briscoe on the second row. With two races left, Briscoe has a 25-point lead over Franchitti in the standings and a 32-point lead over Dixon. Danica Patrick, who won this event a year ago year to become the first woman to win a major open-wheel race, qualified sixth.