BUSCH: Charlotte: Paul Menard qualifying notes

Menard To Start Fifth in Saturday Night's Carquest Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Busch Series Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway

CONCORD, N.C. (Friday, May 27, 2005) -- Paul Menard of Eau Claire, Wis., will start Saturady night's Carquest Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Busch Series race from the inside of the third row after qualifying today on the newly repaved Charlotte Motor Speedway 1.5-mile tri-oval.

Menard and the #11 Menards/Quaker State Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., logged a fast qualifying lap of 185.535 mph (29.105 seconds) this afternoon to take the fifth spot on the timesheets among 50 car-and-driver combinations attempting to make Saturday night's 43-car starting grid. He'll start behind NASCAR Nextel Cup regulars Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, and defending Busch series champion Martin Truex, Jr. It was Menard's seventh top-10 qualifying effort in 13 events this season.

Race time Saturday is 7 p.m. EDT with live coverage on the FX cable network set to begin at with pre-race activities at 6:30 p.m. EDT.

PAUL MENARD

"It's been a crazy day here at Charlotte for us. I thought we'd be better in practice than we were (11th), for one, and based on that, I didn't have high hopes for qualifying. Wrong on both points there! Someone just asked if we were going to be very good in the race and I have to say 'no' just to keep the flow going here! Hopefully, that means we'll be great."

-dei/mr-