RYR's Youngest and Oldest Grab Front Row At Talladega
Gilliland takes pole at Talladega
Greg Engle
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Rookie David Gilliland has had an up-and-down start to his Nextel Cup career. Saturday constituted his biggest "up" to date, as he won the pole -- the first of his career in just nine Cup starts -- for Sunday's UAW-Ford 500.
Gilliland laid down a lap around the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway in his No. 38 Robert Yates Racing Ford with a speed of 191.712 miles per hour.
Although Gilliland was one of the few drivers to turn laps on Talladega's new pavement during a recent Goodyear tire test, this is his first visit to the track for competition.
"To come to a restrictor-plate race for my first time ever and to be able to start where we're starting up on the pole is very exciting," Gilliland said.
This Alabama track was repaved for the first time in 27 years during the summer, and on the new asphalt, speeds during Friday's practice sessions approached 200 mph. NASCAR mandated smaller restrictor plates Saturday in an effort to slow the cars down. The four holes in the new plates are each one-64th of an inch smaller than the ones distributed Friday, and now measure seven-eighths of an inch each in diameter.
Gilliland's pole speed, however, was still faster than the spring pole speed of 188.511 posted by Elliott Sadler, then the driver of the No. 38.
"We were fortunate enough a few weeks ago, David got his clearance through NASCAR to run down here," said Gilliland's crew chief, Todd Parrott. "As soon as that happened, we heard about the tire test that was coming down here. We talked with NASCAR about coming down here and doing a tire test. David got some laps in and just kinda learned the racetrack. I think that was a little bit of a help for us."
Gilliland's Robert Yates Racing teammate, Dale Jarrett, will start second. Jarrett is defending champion of this event. more
Greg Engle
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Rookie David Gilliland has had an up-and-down start to his Nextel Cup career. Saturday constituted his biggest "up" to date, as he won the pole -- the first of his career in just nine Cup starts -- for Sunday's UAW-Ford 500.
Gilliland laid down a lap around the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway in his No. 38 Robert Yates Racing Ford with a speed of 191.712 miles per hour.
Although Gilliland was one of the few drivers to turn laps on Talladega's new pavement during a recent Goodyear tire test, this is his first visit to the track for competition.
"To come to a restrictor-plate race for my first time ever and to be able to start where we're starting up on the pole is very exciting," Gilliland said.
This Alabama track was repaved for the first time in 27 years during the summer, and on the new asphalt, speeds during Friday's practice sessions approached 200 mph. NASCAR mandated smaller restrictor plates Saturday in an effort to slow the cars down. The four holes in the new plates are each one-64th of an inch smaller than the ones distributed Friday, and now measure seven-eighths of an inch each in diameter.
Gilliland's pole speed, however, was still faster than the spring pole speed of 188.511 posted by Elliott Sadler, then the driver of the No. 38.
"We were fortunate enough a few weeks ago, David got his clearance through NASCAR to run down here," said Gilliland's crew chief, Todd Parrott. "As soon as that happened, we heard about the tire test that was coming down here. We talked with NASCAR about coming down here and doing a tire test. David got some laps in and just kinda learned the racetrack. I think that was a little bit of a help for us."
Gilliland's Robert Yates Racing teammate, Dale Jarrett, will start second. Jarrett is defending champion of this event. more
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