Leffler wins Memphis Bud Pole

MILLINGTON, Tenn. -- First year NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Jason Leffler continued to take advantage of his depth of experience Friday when he won the Bud Pole Award for Saturday's O'Reilly Auto Parts 200 at Memphis Motorsports Park.

	Jason Leffler

In fact, a trio of the Truck Series' best qualifiers took the top three positions, led by Leffler, the series' pole leader with four top starting positions.

Leffler, the former open-wheel champion from California who has five career starts in two divisions at the .750-mile oval -- three in the USAC Silver Crown Series and two in the Busch Series -- turned a lap in the No. 2 Team ASE Dodge in 22.887 seconds, an average speed of 117.971 mph. In his first eight races in a truck he has started no worse than fifth, twice.

Dennis Setzer -- the defending race winner, who was fastest in the pre-qualifying practice session in the No. 46 Acxiom Chevrolet, was .177 seconds behind Leffler, the only driver to get under 23 seconds. Setzer, whose average starting position coming into the event was 11.1, turned a lap in 117.066 mph.

Travis Kvapil, the 2001 Raybestos Rookie of the Year whose worst qualifying spot is eighth and whose average starting position this season is 6.14, took the third spot in the No. 60 CAT Chevrolet (116.777), Rick Crawford's No. 14 Circle Bar Ford was fourth (116.304) and Mike Bliss -- who rebounded from running only 17th best in practice in the No. 16 IWX Chevrolet -- was fifth (116.219).

Starting sixth through 10th will be Ted Musgrave and Robert Pressley in Dodges, Terry Cook in a Ford, point leader David Starr in a Chevrolet and Rich Bickle, making his debut race and return to the Truck Series in the Dickies Ford -- the truck's best start of the season.

Among the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series drivers making their Craftsman Truck Series debuts are Missouri's Carl Edwards in 16th; North Carolina's Jamey Caudill in 17th; and Pennsylvania's Ryan Hemphill in 26th.

Randy MacDonald and his younger sister Teri MacDonald took advantage of the rules and went through some twists and turns but will become the first brother and sister to compete in a major NASCAR touring race in 53 years.

Teri MacDonald was faster than the three drivers that drove her brother's No. 72 Greenfield Chevrolet in practice. But since the No. 72 was higher in owner points than the No. 93 Pennzoil/Fairlee Chevy she was entered to drive, she and her brother switched trucks for qualifying.

Randy busted a 23.385-second qualifying lap to line up 12th, while his sister was 38th best but will line up 34th after taking the second provisional. They are the first brother and sister to race in a top series since Tim Flock and Ethel Flock Mobley did so in a Strictly Stock race in 1949.

Taking provisionals were Steve Portenga, Teri MacDonald, Tom Powers and Dana White to line up 33rd-36th.

Failing to qualify were Aaron Daniel, Joe Cooksey, Jody McCormick, Eric Jones, Nathan Wulff, Loni Richardson, Bob Coffey and David Hall.

James Stephenson crashed his No. 36 Dickinson Ford at the end of practice and the team, which had no back-up truck, withdrew. Texas Sprint Car driver Blake Mallory's No. 37 Mallory Screenprint Chevrolet did not get through its initial inspection.