Associated Press

Danica Patrick prepares for practice in her Nationwide car on Friday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

Matt Kenseth said a change needed to be made to his team because he didn't think he could win races with what he had at Daytona.

Car owner Jack Roush replaced crew chief Drew Blickensderfer with interim crew chief Todd Parrott this week.

The timing, coming after the first race of the season, was unusual, considering the team could have made the move in the offseason.

Kenseth said he thought things would work out until proven wrong at Daytona. Although he finished eighth in the Daytona 500, he struggled during part of Speedweeks and the race.

"Where I found we needed some help somewhere was team-wide," Kenseth said Friday at Auto Club Speedway. "I didn't feel like the way we operated at Daytona that we could win races and win championships. I didn't feel like that for whatever reason and it just felt like a change needed to be made.

"The timing of the change is probably 100 percent my fault. I know that I've been asked by Jack [Roush] several times if there's anything he can do for me, if there's anything we need to change on the team, if there's anything he can do better on equipment. I thought instead of dragging it out, [the change] was just something that needed to be done."

Still hot

Less than a week after his Daytona 500 victory, Jamie McMurray earned the pole for Sunday's Auto Club 500.

He earned his fourth career pole with a lap of 183.744 mph. Juan Pablo Montoya was next at 183.477 mph. Clint Bowyer will start third with Kasey Kahne fourth and Dave Blaney fifth.

"I'm still amazed at the week I've had and to come here and be on the pole, I really can't believe it," McMurray said.

Failing to qualify were Casey Mears, Johnny Sauter and Terry Cook.

Fatherhood

Elliott Sadler said it was difficult to leave his son, Wyatt, born Monday to come to California for this weekend's race.

"How can something so small create your heart to feel so much love and so much pain all at the same time?" Sadler said.

Sadler's son will need to remain hospitalized for a couple of weeks. Sadler said that Wyatt had to have surgery.

"We knew it was going to happen, but there were just some things with his appendix and intestines, but all of that went great," Sadler said. "He's recovering very well and my wife is healing well. I'm looking forward to the day we can get him home."

Still learning

Danica Patrick's lessons continued Friday as she struggled to feel comfortable in her car during two practice sessions.

Patrick was 37th (among 44 cars) in the first practice session and 27th of 49 cars in the final practice session.

"The tough thing for me is I don't know how it's supposed to feel," Patrick said. "Until the car is right, I can't have an expectation level. I'm just like, 'hmm, do I deal with this, do I not? I don't like this. Maybe it has to be like that. Maybe I always have to drive around this issue.' So I really don't have any of those answers at this point. It just takes time."

Pit stops

All the Ford Cup teams are using the older engine this week. ... Carl Edwards' wife is due to give birth to the couple's child at any time. Edwards has Erik Darnell on standby to drive for him should he need to go, but because of the distance back to Missouri, Edwards admits "that most likely I would just stay here."