FORT WORTH, TX - Intermittent rain showers on and around the sprawling Texas Motor Speedway have caused ARCA Racing Series officials to cancel Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell. As a result, the starting line-up for Friday night's "Rattlesnake 150" will be set utilizing 2009 ARCA car owner final point standings.
The cancellation of qualifications will put former F1 driver and ARCA rookie Nelson Piquet on the inside of row one. Piquet, who will be making his second career ARCA Racing Series start, earns the no. one starting spot by virtue of racing for Eddie Sharp Racing, the 2009 ARCA Series championship team. Justin Lofton, the '09 ARCA national championship driver, has moved on to the Red Horse Racing Team on NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series.
"We're just lucky to be in the championship winning car," commented Piquet. "Hopefully, starting up front will allow us to lead some laps and run in the clean air."
Piquet, in the Qualcomm-ESR Toyota, will be joined on the front row by current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Chad McCumbee, driving for Mark Gibson Racing. Gibson Racing finished runner-up in championship owner points in 2009 with ARCA Rookie of the Year Parker Kligerman.
Nine-time ARCA Series champion Frank Kimmel will start third in the Ansell-Menards Ford, with current point leader Justin Marks scheduled to start fourth in the Construct Corps Toyota.
Steve Arpin, the race winner last Sunday at Salem Speedway who recently announced a new team sponsor with Mike's Hard Lemonade, will start 22nd, one of four cars in the race fielded by Venturini Motorsports.
The Rattlesnake 150 is scheduled to take the green flag Friday evening at 6:30 pm.
