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Press Release

For Immediate Release

Front Row Motorsports Showtime Southern 500 Qualifying Report

Track:  Darlington Raceway, 1.366-mile oval, Darlington, South Carolina
Pole Winner: Kasey Kahne

Pole Time:  27.131 seconds

Pole Speed:  181.254 miles per hour
TV/Radio: SPEED/MRN/SIRIUSXM

No. 34 Taco Bell Ford Qualifying Position:
37th

No. 38 Long John Silver's Ford Qualifying Position: 21st

Front Row Motorsports went to Darlington Raceway looking for a Saturday-night date with the "Lady in Black."  But first, the teams has to tangle with her during Friday's practice and qualifying.  David Gilliland in the No. 34 Taco Bell Ford and Travis Kvapil in the No. 38 Long John Silver's Ford both had loose-handling cars during practice on the famously treacherous track. 

And they didn't get much help from another lady -- Mother Nature.  Rain moved in half-way through the first practice and stayed through the scheduled second practice.  Neither team got many laps in but they made significant adjustments for qualifying, which went off as scheduled after the rain cleared.

 

The changes helped Gilliland's Taco Bell Ford, which was much better than it was in practice and qualified 37th.  Travis Kvapil was not locked into the race when he arrived in Darlington, but he was immediately after his qualifying laps, wheeling a fast car into the 21st position.

Kasey Kahne set a new track record in earning the pole, posting a lap time of 27.131 seconds at 181.254 miles per hour.  Ryan Newman was second fastest and will start next to Kahne on the front row.  Andy Lally failed to qualify, giving the No. 38 team an opportunity to gain some ground in owners' points.  Brian Keselowski and Scott Riggs also failed to make the field.

The teams now prepare for another race under the lights.  Saturday night's Showtime Southern 500 will begin at 7:30pm ET on FOX and will include pre-race ceremonies to honor NASCAR moms on Mother's Day weekend.

 David Gilliland
David Gilliland

Comments from Taco Bell Ford team driver David Gilliland after qualifying at Darlington:  


"We got messed up in practice earlier.  We had a broken ignition wire underneath the dash and we hardly got any practice.  We went 1.2 seconds faster than we did in practice and we were one of the first ones out.  I'm happy with that.  We went faster and it felt fast.  This place always feels fast, so I'm real proud of all the guys.  Peter (Sospenzo) and the guys did a great job and got our Taco Bell Ford Fusion way closer than where we were, so that's good."

 

Travis Kvapil
Travis Kvapil

Comments from Long John Silver's Ford team driver Travis Kvapil after qualifying at Darlington: 


"I'm just really proud of my guys.  Off the truck, I couldn't even make two laps.  It was so loose, I couldn't drive it.  Then Jay (Guy) and all the guys made all the right changes and it was really tough because of the time crunch we had with the rain.  I felt pretty confident going out there, but you never know.  I'm just really proud of my guys.  This is my favorite track, so, hopefully, we can have a good, solid race tomorrow night and really gain some points."

 

About Front Row Motorsports:

Front Row Motorsports is a Statesville, N.C.-based race team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Formed in 2005 by restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, the team has competed in NASCAR racing in each year since its inception, expanding full-time to the premier Sprint Cup Series in 2009.  The team partners with Ford Racing and Roush-Yates Racing Engines to field the No. 34 Taco Bell Ford driven by David Gilliland and the No. 38 Long John Silver's Ford driven by Travis Kvapil.
 

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Contact:

Shari Spiewak
Account Executive
Breaking Limits, LLC
403 Gilead Road, Suite A
Huntersville, NC  28078
Cell: 704-200-1779
[email protected]