DLP® HDTV Team Qualifying Report - Auto
Club 500 Qualifying
Date: Feb.
23, 2007
Event: Auto
Club 500 Qualifying
Series: NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Series
Location: California
Speedway (Fontana)
Pole Winner: Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports
Tony Raines: 41st
Tony Raines qualified 41st for Sunday’s Auto Club 500
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at California Speedway in Fontana.
Raines, driver of the No. 96 DLP® HDTV Chevrolet for Hall
of Fame Racing, turned a lap of 39.697 seconds, 181.374 mph
on the 2-mile oval.
The DLP team suffered an engine problem in practice earlier
in the day and was forced to change engines before qualifying.
Raines will now have to drop to the rear of the field prior
to the start of the race per NASCAR rules, which state that
any team that changes an engine during the weekend has to move
to the rear.
“It was a tough day,” Raines said. “Obviously
we didn’t qualify that well, and we had the engine problem
in practice. The DLP guys worked hard today to battle through
that hiccup. We’ll try to come back strong on Sunday.”
Jeff Gordon captured his 57th career pole position and first
of the season with a time of 38.765 seconds at a speed of 185.735
mph. Rounding out the top-five in qualifying were Kasey Kahne
(38.810 seconds at 185.519 mph), Mark Martin (38.814 seconds
at 185.500 mph), Kevin Harvick (38.830 seconds at 185.424 mph)
and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (38.834 seconds at 185.405 mph).
Fifty-one drivers attempted to qualify for the 250-lap race.
Those not making the cut in the 43-car field were Michael Waltrip,
Ward Burton, Jeremy Mayfield, A.J. Allmendinger,
Brandon Whitt, Mike Bliss, Kenny Wallace and
Kevin Lepage.
As far as manufacturers went, Chevrolet took the top spot
thanks to Gordon’s pole position. Dodge was next at the
hands of Kahne in second, while the top Ford was Greg Biffle
at 13th.
The Auto Club 500 gets underway on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m.
EDT. FOX will broadcast the race live and in high-definition.
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