|
Front Row Motorsports Wonderful Pistachios 400 Qualifying Report |
|
Track: Richmond International Raceway, 0.75-mile oval, Richmond, Va.
Pole Winner: David Reutimann
Pole Time: 21.20 seconds
Pole Speed: 127.383 miles per hour
TV/Radio: ESPN2/MRN/SIRIUSXM
No. 34 Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation Ford Qualifying Position: 36th
No. 38 Long John Silver's Ford Qualifying Position: 35th
No. 55 Front Row Motorsports Ford Qualifying Position: 42nd
This week NASCAR marks the 10-year anniversary of September 11, 2001, with a patriotism-themed race weekend at Richmond International Raceway. Front Row Motorsports' David Gilliland is among the drivers running special paint schemes in tribute to the victims of "9/11" and to the U.S. military. The No. 34 Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation Ford hit the track Friday for practice, proudly displaying images including the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and the American flag. Gilliland and his teammates, Travis Kvapil in the No. 38 Long John Silver's Ford and J.J. Yeley in the No. 55 Front Row Motorsports Ford, had two practice sessions Friday to get the cars prepared for late-afternoon qualifying runs.
Despite the challenges that came with the day-to-evening track condition changes, all three Front Row Motorsports entries qualified for Saturday night's race. Kvapil and Yeley both earned starting positions based on their time-trial laps -- 35th and 42nd positions respectively. Gilliland, who is locked in by points, qualified in the 36th position.
David Reutimann earned his first pole of the season, edging out Jamie McMurray, who was second-fastest. Mike Skinner, Erik Darnell and T.J. Bell failed to qualify for the race.
Saturday's race will offer plenty of excitement as the outcome will seal the field for NASCAR's "Chase" -- a 10-race playoff among 12 drivers to determine the Sprint Cup Series champion. Coverage of the Wonderful Pistachios 400 begins at 7:30pm ET Saturday on ABC. |
|
 | |
David Gilliland |
Comments from No. 34 Tunnel to Towers Ford team driver David Gilliland after qualifying at Richmond:
"We didn't work much on qualifying stuff during practice. We came with a different set-up, so we didn't want to unload in qualifying trim. We just worked mostly in race trim and we made one qualifying run at the end of first practice and the track had slowed down a bunch. We just have to get comfortable with the balance of our car and I feel like that's going to give us what we need for Saturday night."
|
|
 | |
Travis Kvapil |
Comments from No. 38 Long John Silver's Ford team driver Travis Kvapil after qualifying at Richmond:
"It was a big pick-up but it always is when you go from 2 o'clock practice to qualifying at 5:30. The track definitely had a lot more grip. I wasn't sure if my time was going to be enough because it just didn't drive very well. The line wasn't perfect -- too tight in the middle and loose off. We worked hard today to find some speed so I'm glad it was good enough." |
|
 | |
J.J. Yeley |
Comments from No. 55 Front Row Motorsports Ford team driver J.J. Yeley after qualifying at Richmond:
"I was a little bit nervous because we made so many changes to the car throughout practice and I just couldn't really make the car do what I wanted. But it was a decent qualifying lap for our objective this weekend. We've reached it and I'm pretty happy about it." |
|
|
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, the No. 38 Long John Silver's Ford driven by Travis Kvapil and the No. 55 Front Row Motorsports Ford driven by J. J. Yeley.
-30-
|
