Millville: Series qualifying report

Cunningham Motorsports' Patrick Long Earns Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell at NJMP

MILLVILLE, New Jersey (September 12, 2009)- Patrick Long (No. 4 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge) is a newcomer to the ARCA RE/MAX Series but he looked more like a veteran on Saturday at New Jersey Motorsports Park, leading both practice sessions and earning the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell. On Sunday Long will start his career first ARCA RE/MAX Series race-the South Jersey Building Trades 150- from the point position alongside Cunningham Motorsports teammate Parker Kligerman (No. 77 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge).

Long, an experienced road course racer in the American Le Mans Series, toured the 2.25-mile Thunderbolt Course at New Jersey Motorsports Park in 81.324 seconds for an average speed of 99.602 mph. Saturday's Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell was held in seven separate five-car group sessions with groups determined by overall practice speeds from earlier in the day.

By qualifying second with a time of 81.414 seconds for a speed of 99.492 mph, Kligerman earned ten points in the 2009 Championship Points Race. Justin Lofton (No. 6 Lofton Cattle Toyota) starts third despite spinning on two separate occasions during his qualifying run, picking up five Championship points. Heading into Sunday's South Jersey Building Trades 150, Lofton leads Kligerman by a slim, 30 point margin with just four races remaining in the 2009 tour.

The second row for Sunday's race consists of Lofton and Justin Marks, who qualified third in the No. 32 Red Line Oil Dodge. Marks, a road course veteran with experience in the Grand Am Rolex Series, competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Richmond, Virginia on Friday night before traveling overnight to New Jersey to compete in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.

The third row consists of Spencer Pumpelly (No. 09 HPT Chevrolet) and Robb Brent (No. 36 Orchard Chrysler Dodge Jeep Dodge).

The South Jersey Building Trades 150, race 18 of 21 in the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series, is on Sunday, September 13 at 1 p.m.

-credit: arca