NASCAR Cup

Charlotte II: Andy Lally qualifying report

Lally Qualifies ModSpace Chevy 38th at Charlotte Lally to run first full race Sprint Cup oval Concord, NC, (October 14, 2010) - TRG Motorsports driver Andy Lally qualified the No. 71 ModSpace/TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Impala SS in 38th place, out ...

Edited: Oct 16, 2010, 2:18 AM

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Lally Qualifies ModSpace Chevy 38th at Charlotte
Lally to run first full race Sprint Cup oval

Concord, NC, (October 14, 2010) - TRG Motorsports driver Andy Lally qualified the No. 71 ModSpace/TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Impala SS in 38th place, out qualifying 11 veteran drivers, for Saturday evening's running of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Lally, from Northport, New York, posted a qualifying time of 28.774 and a speed of 188 mph. Lally is slated to run his first ever complete oval race. The sports car champion took the lessons learned from last week's laps in Fontana, California, and some help from his friends, to get up to speed at Charlotte this afternoon in preparation for qualifying.

"This is a wild place," Lally said. "It is definitely a little different from the other tracks that I have run before. Driving at California Speedway last week was a big help getting used to the speed on entry into the corners. This place is tighter, has more banking and to top it off there is a hump at the entry of Turn One to worry about. The crew did a great job making fast changes to help maximize my track time here today. We rolled the car off the truck a little tight, which Dan (Stillman, crew chief) I am sure did on purpose to help this rookie get comfortable. The guys were patient with me and we were able to take little bits of time out of it here and there. I had a good mock qualifying run and then we improved it some more before I ran on the clock tonight. I have to thank Brendan Gaughn, David Ragan and Marcos Ambrose who helped me out with some tips here and there today."

Lally knows that the track conditions for qualifying will mirror those for the race to come on Saturday.

"We picked up a bunch of time in qualifying. The track picked up two-tenths from practice to the pole time and we picked-up more than that tonight. More than anything it was me getting comfortable and learning how to drive Charlotte Motor Speedway. There is quite a bit more grip at night when the air pressures are up, the track is cool and the car is good."

Although he doesn't have a personal position goal, he realizes the importance of finishing his first NASCAR Sprint Cup oval race.

"I am looking forward to seeing how we can make the car better in Happy Hour tomorrow. We have a lot of pressure on us to maintain a top 35 owner's point's position. I haven't set a personal position goal for myself. I just have to keep my feet on the ground and realize that I have very little experience around here, log laps and take the checker."

Kevin Buckler, team owner, is happy with the Lally's qualifying effort.

"Andy did an awesome job to legitimately get into one of the largest fields of the year on time," Buckler said. "He is working well with the team and is gaining valuable laps in the toughest racing on the planet. Having him beat so many experienced drivers in his first start here is amazing. I am looking forward to watching him race on Saturday night. We have attracted the sponsorship from ModSpace and Savory Thymes that will allow him to run the whole race. Our friends at ModSpace are really good partners and we are looking forward to working with them. Our goal for Andy is pretty simple, take the checkered flag, in first ever oval race."

-source: trg motorsports

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