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SCC: Watkins Glen: Series qualifying report

SELLERS EARNS 1ST CAREER POLE FOR CONTINENTAL TIRE SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE RACE AT THE GLEN Justin Piscitell Earns Street Tuner Pole In Only Second Series Start WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 4, 2010) - Bryan Sellers will lead the GRAND-AM Continental ...

SELLERS EARNS 1ST CAREER POLE FOR CONTINENTAL TIRE SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE RACE AT THE GLEN

Justin Piscitell Earns Street Tuner Pole In Only Second Series Start

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 4, 2010) - Bryan Sellers will lead the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport field to the green flag for Saturday's Continental Tire 150 after winning the pole position during Friday's qualifying session at Watkins Glen International.

The two-and-a-half hour race, featuring more than 70 GS and Street Tuner (ST) cars at the famed 3.4-mile, 11-turn track, begins at 10:15 a.m. ET Saturday.

Sellers led a sweep of the top three positions for Fall-Line Motorsports, which has dominated the GS points standings this season but has yet to win a race. Sellers turned in a time of 2:03.783 (98.883 mph), breaking a year-old track record set by Matt Bell (2:04.576). It was Sellers' first career Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge pole and the second of the season for the No. 46 Trim Tex/Weathertech BMW M3.

The record didn't come without some drama. The team had struggled throughout the day and wasn't near the front during the practice sessions. Additionally, Sellers, who received the call from team owner and co-driver Mark Boden last Thursday to drive the car, had two of his laps eliminated after all four wheels on the BMW drifted off track in Turn 1. GRAND-AM rules state any time that happens, the driver loses that time.

"Those laps were close," said Sellers, who joins Boden in the team's attempt for its first-ever series victory. "We turned it on at the right time. This team is close to winning."

Sharing the front row with Sellers and starting second will be Fall-Line teammate Charles Putman, who clocked in with a time of 2:04.342 (98.438 mph) in the No. 48 Sparco/Imported Car Store BMW M3. Fall-Line completed the top-three sweep with rookie Andrew Hendricks, who turned in a time of 2:04.510 (98.305 mph) in the No. 45 Stable One Racing BMW M3 he shares with Terry Borcheller.

Completing the top five were Bell (2:04.667; 98.182 mph) in the No. 6 Sunoco Camaro GT he drives with Jeff Bucknum, and Jack Roush Jr. (2:04.742; 98.123 mph), who had earned the last two pole positions in the No. 61 ROUSH Performance Products Ford Mustang GT he co-drives with Billy Johnson.

In ST, rookie Justin Piscitell mustered the first-ever pole for himself, Team MER and the MAZDASPEED3. Piscitell, in only his second career start, turned in a time of 2:09.961 (94.182 mph); the time came on his first lap.

"I wasn't expecting to be up this front this quickly," said Piscitell, co-driving the No. 03 DAMG Worldwide/Sparco MAZDASPEED3 with Jason Saini. "It was quite a pleasant surprise."

Second was David White (2:10.289; 93.945 mph) in BimmerWorld/GearWrench's No. 80 Performance Friction/RAYS Engineering BMW 328i he drives with James Clay, while third was points co-leader David Thilenius (2:10.840; 93.549 mph) in Compass360 Racing's No. 74 HPD/Skunk2 Honda Civic Si he drives with fellow points leader Lawson Aschenbach.

Fourth was another Compass360 Racing driver, Zach Lutz (2:11.042; 93.405 mph), in the No. 75 JC Concrete/Skunk2 Honda Civic Si he shares with Ryan Eversley, while Bill Heumann (2:11.170; 93.314 mph) in BimmerWorld/GearWrench's other car, the No. 81 Performance Friction/RAYS Engineering BMW 328i, which won a week ago at Lime Rock Park.

-source: grand-am

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