SONOMA, Calif. -- Jamie McMurray scored his third career NASCAR Nextel Cup pole, nipping Robby Gordon, while ex-Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya will start 32nd.

Still, Montoya will start ahead of the defending race winner of the Toyota/Save Mart 350, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson.

Both will start at the rear of the field -- with Gordon 41st and Johnson 42nd -- after their cars failed inspection and NASCAR prevented them from practicing and qualifying Friday.

McMurray qualified at 92.414 mph. This is McMurray's first pole since Pocono in July 2005. He credited Boris Said, who did some testing for Roush Fenway Racing. McMurray said that Said tested the Car of Tomorrow about five times before this weekend.

"When we unloaded here, I ran my first four or five laps and I'm like the car feels great," McMurray said. "It had a lot of speed built into it. Most of our work ... was done before we ever got here."

While McMurray won his first pole in 67 races, he's also seeking to end his 164-race winless streak. McMurray won in his second career Cup start and has not won since.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start third, with Said fourth and Tony Stewart fifth.

Michael Waltrip Racing had all three cars make a race for the first time since the Daytona 500. Terry Labonte replaced Waltrip for this weekend, and road course specialists P.J. Jones replaced David Reutimann for this event. Dale Jarrett remained in his car this weekend and outqualified both. He will start 16th.

Among those failing to qualify were both Team Red Bull drivers, Brian Vickers and A.J. Allmendinger. Ward Burton and Scott Riggs also were among the nine drivers who failed to qualify.

Truckin'

Bill Davis Racing and Roush Fenway Racing each will test a truck at Martinsville Speedway for NASCAR on Monday.

Davis said the teams will use a spec engine as NASCAR explores the possibility of making all the engines the same for the Craftsman Truck series at some point.

"On the surface, it really looks good because of the cost reduction," Davis said of a spec engine in the truck series. "The only thing that concerns me, not only my operation but a lot of truck operations are very manufactured-dependent for sponsorship. I'm afraid if the manufacturer doesn't have his engine in there, it's a spec motor, is the attraction still going to be there?"

Johnny Benson is scheduled to test for Bill Davis Racing. Travis Kvapil is scheduled to test for Roush Fenway Racing.

Pit stops

Mike Brown, general manager for Bill Davis Racing, says that Caterpillar's sponsorship ends after the season and the team is in talks with the company to continue that partnership. ... Ricky Rudd was inducted into the track's Wall of Fame on Friday. Rudd is a two-time winner at this track, including his victory in the inaugural Cup race in 1989.