Grand-Am

Birmingham: Lexus qualifying report

ROJAS PUTS LEXUS ON THE FRONT ROW AT BARBER BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (July 19, 2008) -- Memo Rojas qualified second to put Lexus on the outside of the front row for tomorrow's Porsche 250 at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Rojas will ...

Published: Jul 20, 2008, 12:14 AM

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ROJAS PUTS LEXUS ON THE FRONT ROW AT BARBER

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (July 19, 2008) -- Memo Rojas qualified second to put Lexus on the outside of the front row for tomorrow's Porsche 250 at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

Rojas will co-drive the #01 Telmex Lexus with Scott Pruett tomorrow as the team looks for its sixth win in the season's firstnine races. The duo has finished in the top three eight times this season.

"I spent the first four laps just trying to get a clean lap," said Rojas. "It wasn't really until the end of the session that I got a clear run -- and by that time the good grip was gone out of the tires. Track position is going to be critical tomorrow due to the lack of long straightaways here and the difficulty in passing."

Shane Lewis registered his best time of the weekend in qualifying the #3 Southard Motorsports, yet, it was good enough for just the 13th position for tomorrow's race.

Notes:

-- Surprisingly, despite having won five races this season, tomorrow will mark just the second time this season that the #01 Ganassi Lexus will start from the front row. Memo Rojas previously won the pole position at Mexico City.

- The Ganassi drivers and team will take a 40-point championship lead into tomorrow's race, while Lexus holds on to a six-point advantage in the manufacturer's championship.

- Tomorrow's race will mark Bill Lester's first-ever event at Barber Motorsports Park after a successful run in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

- Scott Pruett and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Memo Rojas bring a record 27 consecutive top-10 finishes into this weekend's action in the #01 Telmex Lexus -- the last time they finished outside of the top-10 was at Mid-Ohio in 2006 -- more than two years ago.

-credit: lexus

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