Bomarito retains pole position in Long Beach

In a way, it would be easier to just list the drivers who weren't in P1 during the final qualifying session for Sunday's Atlantic Series race in Long Beach. First it was Hinchcliffe, and from there, Bomarito, De Silvestro, and Niemela all made appearances at the top of timing and scoring list.

In the end, though, provisional polesitter Jonathan Bomarito was able to retain his position by running an even faster time today than the day before.

Continuing Friday's trend towards a very tight field, less than one second of lap time separated first place from 16th place. With only 23 cars competing in this weekend's race, this makes for tremendous parity within the field. And so, it's safe to say that Sunday's race will likely be very fast, very competitive, and full of surprises.

Sharing the front row with Bomarito will be Newman Wachs Racing's Simona De Silvestro. This will mark Long Beach's first front-row start for a female racer. When asked how it is to race in such a competitive field of otherwise male drivers, De Silvestro replied that it was great when she does well. When she doesn't, they say it's because she's a girl. Someone who does not share these issues is American driver Carl Skerlong, who qualified third, now driving for Pacific Coast Motorsports.

Cars that were fast, but not first, include Alan Sciuto, who will start in row two along with Skerlong, and third row starters Jonathan Summerton in fourth place, and Canadian Kevin Lacroix, starting 6th.

Sunday's race starts at 10:35 AM Pacific Time. Due to uncertainties with the business side of the series, the broadcasting of the race will be announced at a later date.