By Brian Bielanski, RacingWire Editor
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (RacingWire) – While it doesn't mean much for the race, drivers and crews want to win the pole for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Why? Bragging rights.
The No. 67 and No. 66 TRG Porsche teams had much to brag about after qualifying for this year's 49th edition of the twice around the clock endurance test. That was until the No. 67 car of pole sitter Andy Lally failed post qualifying technical inspection.
Lally's car was found to have its wing mounted too far to the rear of the car. As a result the team's front row qualifying sweep was short lived.
Lally will start from the back of the field for the race and his teammate Dominik Farnbacher will start from the pole. Farnbacher's 117.815 mph lap was a track record.
The disqualification will also make fans of the bow-tie very happy. Jordan Taylor will take his place on the front row in his Autohaus Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.
Craig Stanton assumes third place in GT with his Magnus Racing Porsche.
Daytona Prototype pole-sitter Jorg Bergmeister also broke the track record in his Porsche Riley. His lap time of 128.033 mph is further evidence of the speed generated by Daytona International Speedway's new racing surface.
"I was ready to come in, and the team told me to try again," Bergmeister said. "I went for it. I risked everything, and it worked out perfectly. I knew we have a great car and a great engine, but I was really surprised to win the pole - with the team running the DP for the first time. I was hoping to qualify in the top five."
Bergmeister will be joined on the front row by Max Angelelli in a Chevrolet Dallara.
Scott Pruett in his Ganassi Racing BMW Riley qualified third.
The top five in DP consists of a Porsche, Chevrolet, Ford and two BMWs showing early season parity in Rolex Series.
One DP team exercised an interesting qualifying strategy, choosing not to qualify.
Level 5 Motorsports team owner / driver Scott Tucker and team manager David Stone elected to keep the their two BMW Riley Daytona Prototypes on the sidelines for the qualifying session.
“We came here for one reason: to win the race,” Tucker said. “It’s a long, long race and we’ve said for years: ‘It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. ”
There are only 18 DP cars in the field and starting position doesn't mean much in a 24 hour race, so the team hopes starting in the back keeps them out of trouble in the early laps.
“We have great spotters and great drivers for this race,” Stone said. “Being in the middle of the pack gives you the highest probability of getting caught up in trouble. Being in the back, we give ourselves some room, keep an eye out for problems and focus on being in position to win on Sunday afternoon.”
