After practice crash, Leffler takes NCTS pole

RICHMOND, Va. -- After Jason Leffler backed his primary ride into Turns 3 and 4 during practice Thursday morning, he felt the need to redeem himself in a large way in qualifying.

	Jason Leffler celebrates his Bud Pole winning effort. Credit: Michelle Mecha/HSP

And did he ever.

To reward his crew for preparing the backup No. 2 Dodge Ram Truck, he laid down a record qualifying lap of 123.378 mph at Richmond International Raceway on Thursday afternoon for Thursday night's Virginia is for Lovers 200. The effort earned Leffler his series-leading eighth Bud Pole Award of the year.

He bested 45 other drivers who searched for the 36-grid positions on the .75-mile oval. In the process, he knocked Craftsman Truck Series point leader Mike Bliss off the pole.

Leffler doesn't have a victory, but holds a NCTS record for the most second-place finishes in one season with seven.

Leffler shattered Ron Hornaday's record of 121.726 mph set in 1997.

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"It's been an up-and-down day for us," Leffler said, in reference to the Ultra Motorsports team. "We crashed the primary car and the guys went out and got this back up ready. The 'Ultra Motorsports Bad Boys' did a great job.

"We definitely want to get on the other side of this deal with a win. We don't get any points for a pole, but it's a good place to start.

"This start really gets the guys up after starting the day out the way we did."

Bliss clocked in at 123.097 mph and will start outside the front row in the No. 16 Chevrolet.

	The No. 2 of Jason Leffler shattered the Richmond qualifying record Thursday. Credit: Nate Mecha

Rounding out the top-10 qualifiers were Ted Musgrave, Leffler's teammate at Ultra, Rick Crawford, Terry Cook, Winston Cup regulars Kevin Harvick and Bobby Hamilton, Dennis Setzer, David Starr and Stacy Compton.

Notable qualifiers included Winston Cup Series regular Tony Stewart, making his first start since 1996. Also making the field was Australian driver Adam Clarke, who is making his first-career start in a Petty Enterprises No. 45 Dodge.

Failing to qualify for the race were Stan Boyd, Brad Bennett, Dana White, Clay Collier, Loni Richardson, Tommy Pistone III, James Stephenson, Jody McCormick, Bob Coffey Jr. and Conrad Burr.