Jumped in a mediocre car almost twice as big and powerful as what he used to driving, grabs a pole, AND was coming back thru the pack when Robby punted him.
Yup, they are all pretty much just the guys the teams let drive the cars. The most skilled driver in the world is just another backmarker in a bad car.
Good drivers take extraordinary cars and do the every day while great drivers take every day cars and do the extraordinary.