SONOMA, California — Jason Bowles scored his tenth career Coors Light Pole Award in NASCAR K&N Pro Series West qualifying at Infineon Raceway Friday afternoon. Bowles is looking for his third straight win in the Thunder Valley Casino Resort 200.
"I gave it all I had and the car felt really good. We have a really good car for the race so it will all come down to pit strategy and luck tomorrow."— Greg Pursley
Bowles, competing in only his second series race this season after winning the championship last year, turned in the fast time on the 1.99-mile road course with a lap of 78.127 seconds (91.697 mph).
Road race ace Boris Said was second quickest in qualifying, turning a lap of 78.570 seconds (91.180 mph). He was followed by David Mayhew, who enters the event leading the championship standings; Greg Pursley; and David Gilliland, who is gunning for another win to go with his 2007 victory at Sonoma.
Rounding out the top 10 in qualifying were Tom Dyer, Brandon Davis, Andrew Ranger, Luis Martinez Jr">Luis Martinez Jr., and Paulie Harraka.
Gene Price Motorsports driver Greg Pursley (#26 GPM Performance Parts Ford) qualified fourth with a quick lap of 78.635 seconds (91.104 mph) for the 200km race that is scheduled for 12:30pm PT tomorrow afternoon. Pursley currently holds down the third position in the point standings after four races and knows that the road course events on the schedule are critical. "I gave it all I had and the car felt really good," Pursley said. "We have a really good car for the race so it will all come down to pit strategy and luck tomorrow."
There are two prevailing rules of thought for this race. Pit early or have the freshest tires at the end. "I would rather have track position late in the race," Pursley said. "It is really difficult to pass here so if we can be at the front in the closing laps then I think we will have a real good shot at the win."
Qualifying 12th for his first road race in his NASCAR career, Jonathon Gomez (#22 Century Boatland/Heritage Cattle Co. Chevrolet) is excited for the race to get started. "I thought I had a really good first lap despite the car being a bit loose," Gomez said. "The second lap the car really came in. Craig (Raudman- crew chief) and the rest of the team have worked their tail's off to put a car this good under me. I know if I can avoid making any mistakes and stay out of the mess then we are going to have a really good finish." Gomez is fourth in the point standings.
While qualifying 27th was not where Rick Boysal (#60 Medical Staffing Force/Blentec/Gatorz Toyota) wanted to end up, he will have 60 laps tomorrow to move his Toyota to the front. "The car felt real good and I think we will be pretty good in the race," Boysal said. "The car has been really consistent so we will just have to drive our race and see how it tuns out. Qualifying is one thing but racing is quite another and I feel really good about the race." Boysal is making the first of three starts in the series at Infineon.
Race Notes
The race … The Thunder Valley Casino Resort 200 is the fifth race on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule in 2010. It is the first of three road-course events this season.
The procedure … The starting field is 40 cars, including provisionals. The first 36 cars will qualify through NASCAR road-racing style qualifying. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 64 laps (127.36 miles).
The track … Infineon Raceway is a winding 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course with varying elevation. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West has visited the Sonoma track 29 times since 1969. In addition to the track hosting 20 stand-alone events, drivers and teams competed in nine companion events with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series between 1989 and 1997.
The records … Qualifying: David Gilliland, June 23, 2007, 91.979 mph, 77.887 seconds; Race: Brian Vickers, June 24, 2006, 67.595 mph, 1 hour 53 minutes 3 seconds.
Fast Facts
The Race: Thunder Valley Casino Resort 200
The Place: Infineon Raceway,
Sonoma, Calif.
The Date: Saturday, June 19
The Time: 12:30 p.m. PT
TV Schedule: SPEED, June 24, 3 p.m. PT
Track Layout: 1.99-mile road course
Race Purse: $167,169
2009 Winner: Jason Bowles
2009 Pole: Patrick Long
Top 10 Driver Points: David Mayhew 685, Eric Holmes 643, Greg Pursley 582, Jonathon Gomez 563, Josh Combs * 545, Moses Smith 538, Blake Koch 537, Paulie Harraka 530, Todd Souza * 519, Luis Martinez, Jr. * 511
* Denotes Sunoco Rookie of the Year Contender
(Some content provided by NASCAR Media)
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