Pocono II: Qualifying report

Scott Speed Earns SIM Factory Pole Award at Pocono Raceway

LONG POND PA (8-1-08)--Eddie Sharp Racing's Scott Speed, in the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota, earned his third career ARCA RE/MAX Series SIM Factory Pole Award Friday afternoon, posting a 54.286-second lap around the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway triangle. The former Formula One driver starts on the pole alongside series veteran Justin Allgaier for Saturday's Pennsylvania 200 at Pocono Raceway.

"We unloaded great off the truck," said Speed. "I honestly don't feel any pressure or anything like that. We've gotten ourselves into a few situations that really weren't our fault and they have affected the points but you can't let that get to you. We didn't really make a lot of changes or in practice. I took what I remembered in June and applied it today. We should be real good in the race tomorrow."

Speed headed into this weekend's ARCA RE/MAX Series event at Pocono Raceway second in the point standings. The SIM Factory Pole Award earned Speed15 bonus points, allowing him to close to within 40 points of point leader Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., heading into Saturday's Pennsylvania 200. Speed has won the last two consecutive ARCA RE/MAX Series events and a victory on Saturday would mark his fourth of the 2008 race season.

In addition to leading the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series in race victories with three, Speed leads the series in SIM Factory Pole Awards with poles at Pocono Raceway in June and August and at Michigan Int'l Speedway. Other SIM Factory Pole Award winners this season include Justin Marks (Daytona), Ken Schrader (Salem), Ken Butler, III (Kansas), Joey Logano (Rockingham), Sean Caisse (Kentucky), Andy Hanson (Toledo), Justin Lofton (Cayuga), Brian Scott (Kentucky) and Justin Allgaier (Berlin).

Speed and Allgaier will lead off the 41-car starting field when the Pennsylvania 200 rolls off at 1 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. Aric Almirola, in a DEI Chevrolet, and Chrissy Wallace, in a Hattori Racing Toyota, will make up row two. Frank Kimmel and Matt Carter start fifth and sixth, respectively. Arcaracing.com will feature live timing and scoring and a live audio broadcast of the race via the ARCA Racing Network sponsored by Team GLOCK Racing.

-credit: arca