FONTANA, Calif. — David Reutimann saw Mark Martin’s bumper in the mirror and took a deep breath.

It wasn’t jitters exactly. Reutimann knew the NASCAR veteran — considered one of the cleanest racers in the business — wouldn’t cause any trouble as they battled side by side last week in the Sprint Cup event at Kansas.

Yet Reutimann also knows the stakes are different for the 31 drivers on the outside of the Chase for the championship than for the 12 drivers such as Martin who are vying for a title.

“It’s nerve-racking to race a guy in the Chase because you don’t want to touch the guy,” said Reutimann, who finished eighth, one spot behind Martin. “You don’t want to be the guy that, ‘Well, if this hadn’t have happened, such and such would have won the Chase or won the championship.’ You don’t want to be that guy. None of us do.”

The non-Chasers like Reutimann know there are only two ways to ensure yourself time in the spotlight during the Chase: Win a race or ruin a Chase guy’s day. And considering non-Chasers rarely make it to victory lane — Greg Biffle was the last to do it in 2007 — the alternative isn’t that appetizing.

There is a certain etiquette involved, a lesson Cup newcomer Brad Keselowski learned in Kansas. Keselowski was working near the lead when he found himself in close quarters with Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya, both Chase drivers.

Stewart, perhaps agitated by the way Keselowski was driving, radioed his concerns to crew chief Darian Grubb. A short time later, NASCAR officials sent word to Keselowski’s crew chief, Tony Eury Jr., that the 25-year-old driver needed to calm down.

Keselowski didn’t take the call personally, though he remains a little confused about what exactly he did wrong.

Hamlin wins pole

Denny Hamlin won the pole (183.870 mph) for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway.

Biffle will start second after Reutimmann’s qualifying time was thrown out because his No. 00 Toyota failed post-qualifying inspection. Reutimann was bumped to 42nd.