Mid-Ohio: Blackhawk Racing qualifying report

Two qualifying attempts plus Gurney equals two poles for GAINSCO squad

LEXINGTON, Ohio- Five minutes into today's Rolex Series Daytona Prototype qualifying session at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Alex Gurney decisively seized his second pole of the year behind the wheel of the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Pontiac Riley. Gurney took the pole position for Saturday's EMCO Gears Road Racing Classic with a quick lap of 1:20.395; set shortly before a spectacular fire onboard the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Pontiac Riley cut the 15-minute qualifying session short at the halfway point.

The pole is Gurney's second in his brief Rolex Series career and comes just one race after his first at Barber Motorsports Park. Both times Alex has been nominated to qualify the GAINSCO Riley, he's started on the point. He and co-driver/owner Bob Stallings now will enter tomorrow's race knowing they have the car, the team and the talent to put together a potential first victory.

"I'm very happy to put the GAINSCO Pontiac Riley on the pole once again," Gurney said. "We knew coming in to qualifying, because of all the practice black flags, that I would need to go quick early on. It's great to be starting up front, and the whole team has really been working hard to get us here."

In five Grand-Am Rolex Series events, Gurney and Stallings have never finished outside the top-ten and have racked up two poles, a podium and 20 laps led. Fans can watch as Bob and Alex look to continue that competitive streak on Saturday evening, as the 111-lap, 250-mile or two-hour, 45-minute EMCO Gears Road Racing Classic goes green at 5:30 p.m. Central time. The race will be broadcast on SPEED Channel on a tape-delayed basis Sunday at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Live timing and Web radio coverage of all the exciting Rolex Sports Car Series action will be available at www.Grand-Am.com.

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