Starr shines in Craftsman Truck qualifying

FONTANA, Calif. -- David Starr, who needed 66 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts to win his first Bud Pole, now has back-to-back fast qualifying efforts as the Texas native captured the No. 1 starting position for Saturday's American Racing Wheels 200 at California Speedway.

	David Starr shows off his Bud Pole Award. Credit: Nate Mecha/HSP

Starr, driving the No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet, snatched the pole from Coy Gibbs by just four-thousandths of a second during Friday's trials. He lapped the 2.0-mile superspeedway at an average speed of 175.850 mph while Gibbs -- who posted a career best qualifying effort -- fell just short in the No. 20 MBNA Chevrolet at 175.824.

Starr won last month's Las Vegas 350 from his pole start, vaulting to fourth in the series championship standings entering the season's final two events. Gibbs bettered a pair of third-place starts -- most recently in September at Texas Motor Speedway -- to collect his first front row berth.

Gibbs, meanwhile, denied Raybestos Rookie Bill Lester his first Bud Pole. Lester, in the No. 8 Dodge Motorsports Dodge, qualified at 175.627 to qualify third fastest for the third time.

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Series points leader Mike Bliss will start fourth in the No. 16 IWX Motor Freight/Knights Inn Chevrolet off a lap of 175.571. Robert Pressley took the No. 5 starting slot in his No. 18 Dickies/Square D Doge at 175.494.

Ryan Hemphill, Travis Kvapil, Jason Leffler, Brendan Gaughan and Rick Crawford rounded out the top 10.